


One Wish

by splendid_sun



Category: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: AU - Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika, Aged up characters, Alternate Universe - Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Angst, Despair, Fantasy, Fusion, Heavy Angst, Long-Haired Victor Nikiforov, M/M, Magical animal, Mentions of Prostitution, Mentions of alcoholism, Mentions of homophobia, Witch Hunters, Witches, mentions of child abuse, multiple POVs, time travelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2020-07-23 16:35:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 100,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20011435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/splendid_sun/pseuds/splendid_sun
Summary: Yuuri Katsuki didn´t know anything about magic and miracles. Until he met certain Victor Nikiforov and learned that in this world, nothing is for free. For getting one wish granted, you must risk your life and fight witches instead. But are witches indeed the real enemy? Inspired freely by Puella Magi Madoka Magica series.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any rights for both anime, they both belong to their respective creators. 
> 
> Hello everyone! This is a fusion fic for Yuri!!! on ICE/Puella Magi Madoka Magica. These two are my most favourite anime, so I decided to put them together. In case you are not familiar with Puella Magi Madoka Magica series: it´s Mahou Shoujo anime, but don´t expect anything cute. This anime is rough, lot of tears, despair and death. So I decided to put lovely YOI characters in all of this mess and oddly enough, it worked out very well through all the writing. BUT! I have written the story in a way that the story should be self-explanatory enough for even non-Madoka fans to understand what is going on. Or in other words, you don´t have to be familiar with Madoka series to read this fic.  
> My sincere apologies to any glaring mistakes in grammar or other things, since I don´t have a beta (although I tried to find one). I tried my best to do multiple re-readings to fix out the mistakes and rewriting the story. Feel free to write me in comment your opinions.  
> Enjoy!

Victor gritted his teeth. This witch was particularly persistent, literally laughing in his face with that obnoxious head. Everything around was floating; lamps blinking, buildings collapsing one after another, hot air around him fluttering.

_What a mess._

Why was he even thinking about it, anyway? It was _always_ like this. He saw another giant girder flying in his directions and quickly jumped away.

 _Fuck. Now it´s not time to lose attention_.

He closed his eyes, clapped his hands. Crystal blue flash and a machine gun appeared in his hands, fully loaded while he shot all that he got at that hideous creature. Cloud of dust disabled his sight for a moment, but he knew that it couldn´t possibly be enough. He jumped on one of the few trees still standing and crouched for a moment.

 _I guess I have to use something bigger_.

He was just about to close his eyes and summon another of his guns when he spotted _him_. He stood at the periphery of all this mess - medium-sized man with brown hair, glasses and the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen. He knew them intimately because he was in love with that man. And that man loved him too; although now, in this very moment, he didn´t know anything about it. He couldn´t know. Victor saw that he is looking around, confused. Brown eyes were running all across the scenery, watching devastated land, buildings, everything floating together. And then the man turned his head to Victor. His face was pale and his sigh attached firmly to him as time stood still for a second. Finally, he looked up and noticed a witch.

Even with eyes of a witch hunter, Victor couldn´t see every detail of his face. But what he _could_ see was the expression of true horror.

 _God, he must be freaking out_. _No regular human could possibly understand what is going on here_.

The witch´s creepy laughter could still be heard in the air as its silhouette shadowed the sun. One move and another girder flew in his direction. Victor cursed, summoned a huge shield and threw the girder back, although his stamina was already low. But right now, that man security was the number one priority. He threw a quick glimpse on his finger ring, but it was futile - he could already feel the rising dizziness and blunt pain in his stomach.

_Fuck, not this again.. I must endure it until Yuuri is safe!_

Victor moved closer to him, already able to distinguish the details of his glasses, his clothes, his shoes. But then, he suddenly noticed _it_. The cat-like monster stood next to Yuuri, spinning his tail lazily from left to right and back on. For Victor, this _thing_ was more dangerous than any witch he had fought so far; and to his horror, Yuuri seemed to be talking to it.

"Yuuri! NO!" he yelled and with inhuman speed rushed to him.

_I had to stop it, before-_

In the corner of his eye, Victor distinguished something huge. He jumped away, but it was too late. Another girder struck him hard and threw him several meters in a pile of glass shards. Victor suppressed the scream and gritted his teeth. Even in this state, the pain was almost unbearable. He felt the dizziness rising and blood drenching his clothes.

_Shit! I don´t have time for this right now!_

He clumsily tried to stand up, but his limbs failed to obey him. Even breathing was painful.

_It´s no use. I have to go back._

With enormous effort, he was able to look at Yuuri one more time.

"Yuuri.. don´t listen to it.. please, " he whispered and started to cough, blood spilling from his lips and splashing on the shards. Even with his sight blurring, he could still see a flash of pure white light and that could mean only one thing.

He had failed yet again. Failed to save _his_ Yuuri.

Screaming internally, Victor twisted his ring and started to fall into the abyss just like a hundred times before.


	2. I Think I Met Him Somewhere..

** ** _Yuuri was panting, running on the black-white ground, desperately looking for an exit. He didn´t know where he was; or why he has to run, he just felt the strong urge to do so. But he had been running for hours already; his breath shallow, eyes darted on the squares under him. Black, white, black, white.. it distantly reminded a chessboard. There was nothing around him. Even if he were about to look to his right or left side, he would see just a void. White, dull emptiness._

_Finally, an exit appeared in front of him and Yuuri almost jumped forward to reach it and open that door. His fingers grabbed the cold metal of the handle and the scenery changed suddenly._

_He was standing on the brink of the threshold. One more step and he would fall into darkness under him. Yuuri reflexively clutched back to the already closed door and his eyes slid down to the city spreading around him and gasped._

_It was the city he was living in, where he was born. Except it looked nothing like it at all._

_Buildings were ruined and mostly collapsed, debris floating in the air. The street lamps were blinking rapidly and dark clouds could be seen in the sky sun hiding behind them. The heat hit him like a hammer and everything was covered in dust._

_His eyes noticed a sudden movement and he reflexively turned his head. Unbelievably as it was, he was here not alone. A tall man in long, silver coat and long hair of the same color was crouching on the ground, his icy-blue eyes clear enough to almost shine in his face. Yuuri looked in them and their sight locked for a second. Some distant, uncertain feeling started to spread in his stomach, but it vanished instantly as the man turned his head away, his eyes suddenly glued to the sky._

_And that was when Yuuri saw it._

_It was something - he didn´t know what exactly was is - but it was floating in the air, indescribable hideous and Yuuri was absolutely certain that this had to be dream or something.. unless the creature turned its head towards him._

_Yuuri didn´t even have time to scream when a giant girder almost hit the other man; some blue light flashed and he successfully stopped the attack with a shield that appeared out of nowhere. Just a glimpse of silver hair and he was already somewhere else. The attacks keep coming but the man always dodged it. He was so alone.. fighting with his life on the line against such a monster._

_How awful, Yuuri thought; involuntarily pitying the man._

_It can´t be helped. He knew from the beginning that it is too much for him to handle._

_Yuuri winced._

_Some high-pitched, almost childish voice appeared in his head and he almost fell from the threshold, startled. After Yuuri finally recollected himself, he noticed a small, white cat standing just next to his feet._

_"You.. what are you?" he asked with trembling voice, still examining the creature with his eyes. Besides the weird shapes-ears, it resembled a cat._

_Some scream echoed under him and he realized that the man´s face is again turned back to him. Was he trying to say something?_

_Only seconds after that Yuuri spotted another giant girder heading towards man´s direction but before he could warn him it was already too late. The girder hit the man right in his torso and the body was thrown away like a broken doll._

_"No!" Yuuri almost jumped from his spot, only instinct holding him still in the place. "Why is this happening?"_

_If he ends up defeated, everything would vanish - the city, people, everything, declared the animal and started to spin its tail lazily from side to side. But.. you have the potential to change fate. All this inevitable destruction, all the sorrow.. you can end it all._

_Yuuri´s eyes widened as he looked up at the animal._

_"Are you telling a truth?"_

_Yes! replied the voice. You have the power to do it!_

_Yuuri took one more look at the man who was lying in the pile of glass and tried over and over to get up but his legs refused to move. It was just painful to watch. Yuuri could imagine the man sure had to have some serious injuries from the last attack. There was no way he would move with such ease as before._

_He couldn´t stand the idea that everyone - him, his family, friends - should die just like that. That was unacceptable. And that man.. he probably has a family too, or someone he wanted to return to._

_Yuuri took a breath and looked at the animal whose pink eyes were still looking at him._

_"Can someone like me really stop this?"_

_Of course you can! So, make a contract with me and become a witch hunter!_

_Without thinking, Yuuri nodded - and suddenly his chest started to hurt and everything vanished in the dazzling white light._

\--

_Bzzzz._

Yuuri´s body winced as he was suddenly torn out of sleep; confused and instantly forgetting what he was dreaming about.

_It´s already six.._

He yawned and then started going out of the bed slowly. Another boring day in his boring job.

 _I wish I was already back home_.

Half-asleep, he automatically plugged the kettle in a socket and went to the bathroom. His apartment was not well-furnished since he lived alone. No happy photos, no comfy couch, not even a dog. Besides his parents and sister, nobody actually cared about him. The only highlight of the day was lunch with his long-time friend Phichit, who somehow ended up in the same company as him. Some time ago, Phichit introduced him to Otabek Altin, who worked in a different apartment and had joined them by lunch since that day. Yuuri considered him as a friend, but Otabek was rather quiet and it was hard to deduce if he thinks the same way of him. Phichit seemed to get along just fine with both of them. Flash glimpse at his watch has told Yuuri he should hurry up. He quickly ate a sandwich, brushed his teeth and with coffee in his travel mug ran to work.

\--

He was just about to go upstairs to his department when out of nowhere some tall man appeared and Yuuri found himself on the ground, his body aching. He hissed and got back up to his feet.

_What the..?_

He looked around and saw the other man slowly getting up, too. He immediately jumped to him but the man was already standing. Yuuri didn´t have much time to watch him thoroughly; he just noticed long silver hair in a ponytail – pretty unusual for Japan, nice suit and lovely face with shockingly blue eyes. Redness flushed to his cheeks as he bowed down deeply and apologized. The other man looked fairly untouched, not surprised at all as if he was expecting this. He introduced himself as Victor and Yuuri just whispered his own name out of politeness. They have been looking at each other for a few more minutes when Victor excused himself and ran somewhere else. Slightly confused, Yuuri went to his own department. Something forced him to think about those icy blue eyes. They felt oddly familiar to them. As if..as if he had seen them before, but..

_No way!_

The truth shocked him like a lightning stroke, but there was no doubt about it now. It was those eyes he had repeatedly seen in his dreams! After he woke up, he usually didn´t remember anything specific except.. _those eyes_.

_But how is this possible?_

He was absolutely certain this is the first time he had met or ever seen Victor Nikiforov. ~~~~

\--

"Hey, Katsuki! Don´t slack off!" his colleague hissed him in the ear. "Boss is gonna be here every minute.."

Yuuri yawned. Lately, he had been experiencing vivid dreams and woke up sweaty and tired. No wonder he was getting kind of sleepy in front of the computer screen. However, he could never exactly remember, what these dreams were about.

"Oh yes, right, right.." he opened up a random file, got the coffee out of sight and put on his "i-am-working" expression.

Just in time. The doors smashed open and his boss walked triumphal in the office.

"Fellas! I hope each of you does remember this big day!"

He looked namely at Yuuri and each of his colleagues. The consonant murmur had filled the room.

"Great!" the boss clapped his hands. "So - conference room, in thirty minutes. I want everybody there, did I make myself clear?”

The door smashed again but this time in the opposite direction. The quiet didn´t last long.

"Fuck, I hate these meetings!" cursed the colleague by Yuuri´s right side.

"It´s just a waste of time.." lamented another.

Yuuri started to feel a bit confused.

"Sorry, do you mind telling me, what is going on?" he stopped one of his colleagues. The guy rolled his eyes nervously.

"My God, Katsuki, do you ever notice the world around you?"

"I am sorry, "Yuuri smiled awkwardly. "But I really don´t have a clue what boss was talking about.."

"New CEO was selected and he is going to come for a visit. Just a brief welcome meeting, like ʻI want to say hi to my subordinatesʼ.. Something like that. Of course, everyone has to go, so the room won´t look empty as always. That´s the only reason."

"Ah, so it´s like that.. Thank you."

The guy left and Yuuri sighed for himself. He had participated in a similar meeting before and it was just as boring as his regular job. _At least I am paid for an hour, not for actual results. That would be really troublesome._

\--

Yuuri found some chair in the back and sat.

 _Luckily drinks are allowed in this room_ , he thought and took a sip from his coffee.

He really wasn´t curious about the new CEO. The boss would still send them an official email and he could read everything about it later. Yuuri spent the time looking around the room which had a modern design, yet was still comfortable and warm. He spotted Phichit in his favorite red shirt and Otabek with his characteristic haircut, but they sat far more in the front and he couldn´t even make eye contact.

 _Never mind. We will see each other in an hour for lunch_.

Suddenly all heads started turning to right and clapping. The door opened and some tall, lean man walked in the room and took a glimpse of the audience. He seemed somewhat familiar. Yuuri levered up a bit on his chair to get a better look and almost choked with his coffee. It was the man from the morning!

_No way! I knocked down the new CEO?!_

Yuuri went impossibly red and for a moment there he just wished to disappear. Luckily, no one around him noticed so he just crouched on his chair trying to get out of sight if Victor accidentally looked to his direction.

Victor stood up on the stage, behind the desk and stretched himself for a microphone.

"Welcome and thank you all for such a lovely greeting. My name is Victor Nikiforov and starting today, I will be the new CEO of this company."

A soft voice filled up the room and the man started his speech. Yuuri glanced at his watch and sighed quietly.

 _I hope this will be over soon_.

He took a quick peek on Victor. The man was actually very handsome, eyes closed; strong hands with lean fingers holding the microphone. He noticed a ring on his middle finger.

_Is he.. married?_

Suddenly Victor opened up his eyes and look directly at him. Yuuri gasped as he felt those clear eyes look firmly into his own. He blushed even more and broke the eye contact.

 _I knew it. He remembers me._ ~~~~

\--

After the end of the speech and obligatory clapping, Victor bowed down and then again took a microphone.

"Thank you very much for your attention. The meeting is now dismissed."

 _Finally_.

Yuuri was just about to lift his chair when he could hear CEO speaking again.

"I ask Mr. Yuuri Katsuki to stay here if he is not busy right now?"

Victor was looking around the room. All heads turned to Yuuri and he just couldn´t believe his ears. _What? Why? Why me?_

He had no idea what Victor could possibly want from him, so he just nodded and sat back down _._

 _It´s not like I have a choice_.

The room slowly emptied and Yuuri saw familiar red shirt walking fast to him. Phichit, of course. Nosy as always.

"Come later to my office, OK?" he whispered him quickly into the ear and then run after Otabek who was waiting for him.

"Well, it looks like it´s just the two of us now." Victor looked at him after a while with a faint smile. "Come closer, please."

Yuuri slowly started to proceed into the front of the room. He tended to get pretty nervous, especially when dealing with unknown people. Considering the fact that he had met Victor only this morning, he still saw him as a stranger and tried hard not to think about his eyes occurring in his dreams for whatever reason. He sat at some random chair and Victor turned the other chair and sat in front of him, looking at him. Again those eyes. They were so clear that Yuuri felt he could see right inside Victor´s head.

_That would probably help a lot._

The man in front of him kept silent so Yuuri decided to speak up as first. It was very unusual for Japanese people to use their first names after one meeting but Victor was obviously _not_ Japanese, so he probably wouldn´t mind.

"Ehm.. Viktor? May I ask, what is this all about?"

Victor didn´t answer the question, just shook his head and put a finger on his lips.

Yuuri swallowed up nervously.

 _I guess he´s not going to tell me_.

"How about I ask something you, too?"

Victor stood up and reached out for Yuuri´s shoulders. He touched them firmly, yet gently and looked directly at him. His silver ponytail fell from his back to his right shoulder. Yuuri felt like those two crystals could see right through him to his own heart.

"Yuuri Katsuki, do you value your current life? Your family, your friends - do you love them?"

That startled Yuuri.

_What´s up with these questions?_

Those were probably the strangest things anyone ever asked him about.

"Wh- why do you ask?" he looked up at Victor after a minute.

"Just answer," he heard that soft voice again.

"It- it´s a little bit strange to talk about this, Victor. We don´t even know each other-" he tried to protest.

"Nevermind. Just answer me. I will keep it to myself, I promise."

Yuuri could literally _feel_ the gaze at his skin. He sighed and started thinking about those questions. Of course, he loved his family and cherished his friends. That was easy to answer. But the rest..

_Do I value my life?_

Indeed, his life was not ideal. Almost thirty years old, no partner or even children, living alone, stuck in a boring job.. But there were people on this Earth who were doing worse than him, right? Dying in the war, starving.. or chronically ill.. opposite to them, he was healthy and he _was_ living, at least.

_It´s not like I am poor or ugly. Maybe I just don´t have so much luck than the others. But despite this, I managed to make friends, to have a loving family._

He thought about his mother, always smiling and ready to stuff him with delicious food. About his father and sister, supportive of whatever he was doing. About Phichit and Otabek, smiling and lifting beer mugs in the air. Everyone has seen him at his worst and also at his best but never left his side. So, the answer was clear.

"I do," he lifted his look into Victor´s eyes. "I do value my life and love my family and friends. They are very important to me."

Victor´s face didn´t look very surprised and Yuuri thought that he was probably expecting this answer.

"Is that so? If that´s true, then you had probably never considered becoming someone else. And that´s good for you. Otherwise, you would lose everything. It´s best for you to stay as you are, Yuuri. Remember that."

With those words, Victor let go of Yuuri´s shoulders and straightened up.

"That´s all I wanted to say to you. See you," he left the room while Yuuri was still sitting at the chair, confused.

\--

"Phichit?" he knocked at the door.

"Yuuri! Finally!" Phichit dragged him into his office.

"Now what was _that_ about with the new CEO?".

"Shouldn´t you be working?"

"I finished already."

 _What? I haven´t even started today. Damn_.

Yuuri sighed.

"Actually, he just wanted to ask something. Not a big deal."

"Really? What was he asking?

"Hm.. nothing important."

"Really?"

Now Yuuri became annoyed again.

"Look Phichit, if you want to know so badly, you can talk to him, too."

"Okay, okay," Phichit lifted his hands in a sign of surrender. "Hey, I promised Otabek to go drinking today, you wanna come?"

Yuuri shrouded his shoulders.

"Sure, why not. I´ll come by."

"Okay, see ya." Yuuri stepped up to the hallway and closed the door behind him.

_After this crazy day drinking is one hell of an idea._

\--

"I swear there _was_ some chemistry between you two."

Yuuri looked at Phichit who was already in the mood.

"Who are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

"You and Nikifuruv, of course."

"It´s Nikiforov," Yuuri corrected him.

"Whatever. You sure you don´t know him?"

"Phichit.. I´ve told you three times already."

"But," Otabek meddled in the conversation, "he probably knows you. And that´s why he wanted to speak with you."

"Ehm.. yes, probably."

Yuuri didn´t want to talk about Victor anymore. He was still muddled from their conversation before.

"Although I think I met him somewhere.. somehow," those words slipped from his mouth before he could realize their full meaning.

 _Crap. I´m a little tipsy too, I guess_. _How come Otabek can drink the most from us and never gets drunk?_

"Somehow?" He could hear Phichit sleepy voice.

"I might have seen him in my dreams."

_What am I doing, telling them about it? Crap!!_

"In dreams, you say." Phichit didn´t sound sleepy anymore and his words even took Otabek´s attention. "That´s the most ridiculous thing I´ve ever heard!" He burst out laughing.

"Phichit!" hissed Yuuri on him. "Don´t laugh at me! I´m pretty concerned about it, you know!"

"Sorry, but..", Phichit wiped away small tears from his eyes. "Who would´ve thought you are so sleepy because you dream about some dirty stuff with our new CEO every night?"

"Phichit!! I have never said that- Oh screw you, I´m going home!" Yuuri was about to leave angrily when heavy arm pulled him softly back in the chair.

"Come on, Yuuri. We both know he doesn´t know what he is saying when he´s drunk. Just let it be."

Otabek. Calm and reasonable as always. Yuuri sat back and sighed.

"Okay then. But one more stupid word and I´m really going home. I should have gone, anyway. My sister is in town and mother persuaded me the whole day for coming to visit her."

"I can understand that. I have a sister, too." Otabek nodded his head and took a sip of the beer. Yuuri looked at Phichit - he seemed to doze off on the table. He shook his head and turned back to Otabek.

"What do we do with him?"

Otabek shrouded his shoulders.

"We finish drinks and if he doesn´t wake up, we´ll take him home. Anyway, do you remember what these dreams were about?"

"Not really, no. But I do remember _him_."

Otabek expression stayed illegible, so there was no way to say what his opinion about it was. Yuuri decided to let it be for a moment.

"Yuuri!"Phichit woke up and hung himself on Yuuri´s shoulder. "Yuuri, kiss me," he giggled.

"Ow, come on." It was always like that - drunk Phichit was a kissing Phichit. In general, Yuuri didn´t mind - he had already figured out in some point of his life that he likes more men than women - but tonight, his head was full of mysterious CEO although he hoped that drinking would help him to forget that strange conversation.

"I think it´s about time to get you home, buddy," said Yuuri and hung his arm around Phichit´s shoulder.

"What? Why? Yuuri!" protested Phichit, his body numb and soft next to him.

"Otabek, little help here?"

Otabek nodded and they somehow managed to pay the bill, take all their stuff and start dragging Phichit home. Yuuri felt a little bit dizzy, his feet heavy while Phichit was rambling him in the ear. The air outside was cold and refreshing and he took a deep breath in his lungs. That helped him to clear his head for a bit.

"Better?" Otabek smirked at him.

"Yes. You look like you didn´t drink anything, though."

Otabek smirked back in reply. "I have a pretty high alcohol tolerance."

"Sure you do."

They walked for a bit in silence, just two pair of steps echoing in empty streets. Phichit became silent a while ago and Yuuri assumed that he fell asleep.

"How is JJ?" he asked Otabek quietly. Smirk vanished and Otabek´s face looked suddenly sadder than his usually calm expression.

"Still in a coma. Nothing new."

"What do doctors say?"

"Well.. they are not very optimistic about him waking up.. ever again."

Yuuri felt genuinely sorry for him. He didn´t personally know JJ and Otabek spoke rarely about him. From the pieces of information he and Phichit dragged out of him they knew that JJ´ real name was Jean-Jacques and he was Otabek´s close and long-time friend. They both had lived in Canada for some time ago and even when not around, they kept contact with Skype and phone. However, a year ago JJ had been involved in some kind of incident and due to his injuries, doctors gave him powerful pain killers and anesthesia. Before the operation could be conducted, JJ fell into a coma and didn´t wake up since then.

This naturally caused a great change in Otabek´s personality. Yuuri had known him for two years and back then when JJ was still healthy, Otabek was clearly more lively and humorous. After the accident, he immured himself. It was harder and harder to get some words from him or persuade him to go out after work. It took all of Phichit´s personal charm and Yuuri´s effort not to lose him. In the end, things had settled the way they were now - but Otabek could never return to his previous self and avoided talking about that topic. Yuuri somehow felt that Otabek´s sorrow was too big for a loss of _just_ a friend, but he never dared to ask directly.

"Otabek, I´m so sorry," he looked at him, regretful. Otabek looked back on him, face empty, but his eyes have told Yuuri everything. No other words were needed at that moment.

\--

Finally, Yuuri spotted Phichit´s house.

 _It´s about time. He´s really heavy_.

He pushed back his glasses with one hand, then grabbed Phichit´s hand again and wanted to continue. But then, in one specific moment, he heard some voice.

_That sounded like.. my name._

He stopped and looked at Phichit but that was still silent, eyes closed, cheeks red, lips slightly opened.

"You said something?" he turned to Otabek who looked a bit surprised.

"No, why?"

"As if I heard.. nothing, forget it. Shall we go? This guy here is starting to get heavy."

"Okay," Otabek nodded, grasped Phichit´s arm and together started walking again. Several meters forward; and then it came again, clear and loud, _his name_. Reflexively, Yuuri stopped again.

"Yuuri?" asked Otabek, who was also stopped by Yuuri pulling Phichit´s body backward. "Is something going on?"

"Ehm.. no, nothing, sorry to bother you. I guess I´m also a bit tired. Just drop off Phichit and then we go home, okay?"

"Okay," said Otabek, took Phichit´s arm more firmly and pulled forward. But Yuuri still stood in the same place.

_Yuuri! Help!_

He couldn´t understand what was going on. He heard that voice, childish and pitch high, but he wasn’t able to determine its source. He turned his head, looking right and left, peeked in the street, but didn´t see anyone or anything. Night fell quick these days and he found himself staring into the darkness surrounding them. Only a pale light of street lamps blinking next to them was taking his attention.

_Yuuri! Help me!_

The voice echoed again and Yuuri could swear he had heard it _inside_ of his head. _What is going on here?_

"Yuuri?" he heard his name again, this time from Otabek, who was visibly getting nervous. "Are you going or not? What is wrong with you?"

Yuuri swallowed, mouth dry."I´m not sure."

"How can you be not sure?" asked Otabek in confusion.

"I- ..hang on, I have to.. just wait for me here," he carefully put Phichit´s body on the sidewalk and straightened up. "I´ll be right back. Take care of him, please," he said and then ran into the dark.

As soon as he started running, he knew he was right. The voice really had to be in his head since no one else was in the streets. Well, except Phichit and Otabek, but it clearly wasn´t either of them.

 _Who are you? Where are you?_ His thoughts were fleeing in all directions.

_Yuuri! Hurry up!_

He heard it again, this time more from the left. He swayed to the next street and speeded up. Street lamps illuminated his way. He stumbled but continued to run. Even without regular exercising, Yuuri had high stamina. He could run for hours without taking a break.

Somehow he ended up in a dead end - he cursed and turned back, only to run in another.

_Jesus, this darkness is awful._

He heard the voice again; it sounded louder and then came abrupt silence. He reflexively turned around and started running again. He finally found a right way, ran forward, then turned left and there, in the pale light, he saw something lying on the ground. It was medium-sized, white and resembled a cat. He could see four pawns, tail enshrouding the body and tilted ears.

 _Is that you who called me?_ Yuuri asked in his mind and was slowly approaching the small body. Nothing came back as an answer.

He could see on the first sight that the animal was already dead. It was covered with a bunch of wounds which were bleeding slowly, white fur sticky and dirty. Yuuri bent down and crouched. By a closer look, he discovered another wounds and part of one ear was even missing, while the rest was just bleeding mass of flash. Yuuri suddenly felt strong disgust and gall hit his throat.

_Who on Earth can torture one animal just like this?!_

He stretched out his hand and wanted to take the animal and at least bury it properly.

"Don´t touch it," he heard the voice from the darkness. Yuuri stopped the motion, surprised.

"Who´s there?" he shouted back and gazed in the black.

No response.

After a while of silence, Yuuri´s sight returned on the poor animal. He stretched his hand again, leaning forward and touched the white fur.

"I told you to leave it be," the voice spoke again, but this time more softly and Yuuri suddenly felt he has heard that voice before. He lifted up his sight and gasped.

Behind the animal stood a familiar tall, lean figure. The man was wearing a silver-grey coat which fit perfectly to his beautiful, untied hair of the same color. The coat was unlaced and showed black clothes under it. He was holding a gun and two others hung in his gun belt. Those crystal blue eyes were again seeing right through him to the very depths of his being. Yuuri closed his eyes and prayed for this to be not true, but there was no point of denying it.

In front of him undoubtedly stood Victor Nikiforov.


	3. That Could Be Truly Wonderful..

****Yuuri felt on his bottom, astonished.

"V-Victor."

That was the only thing he could say.

"Yuuri."

Victor´s look softened as he looked down at Yuuri. His face lost tough expression and some kind of hidden sadness appeared on it.

"What are you doing up here?"

Yuuri opened his lips. It took him a moment to find the right words.

"I could ask the same for you."

"You can, but I won´t answer."

Yuuri swallowed the lump in his throat, but cannot stop looking at Victor.

_What on earth is going on?_

Finally, he broke the eye contact and his gaze fell again on the dead animal.

_Right. That´s how I got here._

"I-," he started again, "I heard some voice. Calling me. I heard my name and that voice asking me to save him. I started to run, but when I came here, it was already.."

"I see," Victor replied.

Then there was a long silence, only Victor´s hair waved softly in a gentle breeze. Yuuri couldn´t help gazing on them. They were like a silver waterfall. He was sure this _is_ Victor, the _same_ Victor he saw earlier this day in the conference room, but something still felt odd. What´s up with those clothes? And.. guns?

"Victor.. what is going on?" he finally dared to ask. "What is _this_?" Yuuri gestured to the animal. "And why you look so different? What´s this all about?"

Victor´s reply was fast but cold.

"I can´t answer any of those questions. It has nothing to do with you."

The lump from Yuuri´s throat moved to the stomach and sat there, heavy and pungent. His head sank, staring at the ground again. He was used to being rejected, but this was somehow.. different. It _hurt_. He didn´t know why but suddenly his eyes became watery. He couldn´t control it.

"I will take this," he heard Victor´s quiet steps towards him and saw those lean fingers grip the animal by its head. The dead body waddled sickly in the air. And then he somehow understood.

"Victor, don´t tell me, it was _you_ , who-"

Yuuri stretched his hand, wanted to catch Victor´s coat and stopped him for a moment. But it was too late. His words froze on his lips, his fingers spread out in the dark, only air slipping from them. Yuuri looked around but he was alone. The lamp above him started blinking again. He pulled his hand back and felt something tickling on his skin. One thin, silver-grey hair appeared at the palm of his hand. Sitting on the cold sidewalk under the pale light of a street lamp, he suddenly felt like crying.

\--

Next day, Yuuri caught himself again slumbering at work. He remembered yesterday vividly - the strange conversation with Victor in the conference room; drinking with Phichit and Otabek after work; then that voice in his head and even _stranger_ encounter with Victor as the one in the morning. But the rest of the night was just a blur. He obviously managed to get somehow into his flat, but he wasn´t sure he even fell asleep. He certainly didn´t feel like he did. His head hurt and Otabek yelling at him about dragging Phichit at home alone wasn´t very helpful. Yuuri felt that more about Phichit it was about abandonment issues but he let it go. He apologized to Otabek and bunked off work to get some headache pills from the pharmacy. Of course, on his way off he met Victor. The silver-haired man just gave him a quick look and kept walking.

Yuuri couldn´t possibly describe their relationship right now regardless of how much he tried. But he somehow couldn´t stop thinking about him. How could he, anyway? Suddenly he started seeing him everywhere - at work, at lunch, he has even met him in the city once. Everywhere he moved, those familiar icy-blue eyes met his own. It seemed to him that Victor was emitting some kind of gravitation force that was pulling them together. He tried to focus more on the work but without actual results. He _felt_ some kind of connection between them, but it was like catching fire. The more he tried, the more impossible it got. Victor was clearly somewhere in his mind, but this part of his brain seemed either locked, clouded with thick fog or completely made-up. Eventually, Yuuri forbade himself to think about it anymore since it was clearly getting him nowhere. And so he returned to the old days - spending his time with work, sometimes visiting his parents or drink a beer or two with Otabek and Phichit who clearly didn´t remember a single thing from the night when Yuuri heard that strange voice and everything went to hell.

\--

It was one of those days when his mother called. Nothing unusual, sure, but she didn´t use to call him during working hours. Yuuri picked up his phone, apologized and promised to call on the way home after work.

_Odd. She sounded really strange. I wonder if anything happened._

Yuuri put his phone back to the pocket. Just in time. His boss obviously came back from lunch and decided to spend his free time yelling at one of Yuuri´s colleague. Yuuri hated screaming, but he had to sit still at his chair looking busy enough so the boss won´t notice him. After a while which seemed like an eternity for Yuuri, his boss - now fairly red in the face - stomped from the office and Yuuri finally felt the heaviness from his chest lift up and slowly leaving his body. Carefully looking to the hallway, he immediately noticed a tall figure in a grey suit following his boss and speaking to him. Victor. Yuuri could swear that in the corner of his eye he could see the crystal-blue flash for a second.

_Of course._

His chest again felt like a dumbbell.

_What a great day._

\--

"Hey mom," Yuuri rushed himself down the stairs from the building. "How are you?"

"Oh Yuuri, I-.. don´t know what to say.."

Yuuri´s eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Mom, is something going on?" he asked. "You sounded pretty strange before, so.."

He couldn´t hear anything for a moment, and then loud nose-blowing.

_Is she crying?_

"Mom..?" he asked quietly.

"Sorry, dear," he heard on the other side of the line. "But I think you should know. The sooner, the better, I guess. It´s about Mari."

Yuuri´s heart skipped a beat.

_Mari..?_

"Apparently, there was some accident in the morning.. car crush.. and Mari-"

Yuuri heard sobbing on the other line.

"Mari is _gone_ , Yuuri. Police came and they told me everything, she just went to buy something in the store nearby and then-, " Yuuri heard a shaky breath, "I tried to call you, but you didn´t answer and .. I don´t know what to do, I´m crying all day, my baby girl is gone, she is gone.."

Yuuri´s mouth went dry and took him a moment to remember how to talk again. His heart started to beat like a crazy, he almost felt its movement in his chest.

"Mom, mom-listen to me," he tried to interrupt sobbing on the other line. "I´m going home right now. Please wait for me."

He didn´t wait for the answer, quit the call and started to run home.

_This just can´t be true. Mari is not dead. She can´t be! No way!_

Yuuri ran across the empty streets, screaming in his head. Some part of his brain painfully realized that it had to be true but the rest of his body refused to believe it. As far as he could remember, Mari had always been there. Together with mom and dad, she stood by his side through good and bad. Memories began to appear chaotically in his mind: Mari giving him a car toy for his birthday, Mari cutting his hair, pinching his nose, hugging him before leaving to her new flat..

Yuuri could feel his eyes watering and his breath became shallower, lungs loudly begged for oxygen. He stopped himself, bent forward, put hands on his knees and start to inhale rapidly. Tears and sweat were dripping from his face, his clothes almost wet already, but he was merely on the halfway. His mom needed him, he couldn´t keep standing in the middle of the street! But his legs obstinately refused to move, they were shaking and craving for oxygen. He continued to breathe rhythmically and then a sudden thought came to his mind - if he hadn´t gone drinking with Phichit and Otabek a few days ago, he could see Mari alive. He remembered well how his mother persuaded him repeatedly to come over to see her, but he had chosen differently. It struck him deep in his chest.

_How could I be such an idiot.._

Yuuri looked up to the sky and realized it has slowly begun to rain. Small drops retained on his glasses while others were falling softly in his hair and sliding down his bare neck. It was like heaven itself was crying for one more lost soul. Yuuri closed his eyes. Tears mixed with the rain have drenched his cheeks.

\--

The rain was getting heavy and Yuuri suddenly found himself completely wet. He couldn´t run anymore in this weather because of bad eyesight but decided to walk as fast as he could. He couldn´t help himself but kept thinking.

_If only I had gone home that day.. would it change anything? Maybe Mari went to buy something for me and got hit by the car.. What if I could go to the store instead of her? Will everything be different? If I was dead.. would anybody notice?_

With these thoughts, Yuuri continued forward but his steps became slower and he felt the air around him getting thicker. The black clouds filled the sky and heavy drops were falling at the ground with amazing speed. Yuuri blinked his eyes, confused for a moment by a sudden weather change.

_What on heaven is this? I haven´t seen such rain in my life._

He realized he can´t even determine the exact _spot_ where he was staying. Yuuri was always prone to the anxiety and his heart began to beat faster and desperately. He again tried to breathe out from the worst but the air was somehow hot and sticky and kept staying on his skin.

_You know the answer already, don´t you?_

Some strange, unidentified voice echoed around him and Yuuri froze. In the past few days, he participated in more unusual situations than it was healthy and strange voices appearing in his head were unfortunately not new to him.

"What´s this? Is it you again?" he tried to ask with more courage than he was feeling.

Only giggle and chuckle came back as an answer. Yuuri felt a twist in his guts - it sounded _inhuman_. More than that, actually. It felt like something out of this world. Some distant parts of Yuuri´s brain were still thinking about Mari and his mom, so despite thick fog all around him he hesitantly stepped forward. And then he heard that voice again.

_You still don´t get it, do you? Nobody would care. That´s the answer. So you are good to die now and here._

Despite all the moist around him, Yuuri´s throat went dry again.

_Die..? What is all this supposed to mean? This is far over the line for some stupid joke._

As if the sky could hear his thoughts, sudden lightning struck hit the ground so close that Yuuri fell on his knees and had to press hands on his ears.

_Dammit! This is definitely not normal. I must find a shelter or something and wait for this horrible storm to end._

Again that inhuman laughter coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. He felt tickling at his skin and turned up his sleeves. Unbelievably as it was, the strains of rainwater weren´t running down his arms as it should be. Yuuri looked in horror as those strains began to move _up_ , to his shoulders and drenched his chest. He frantically tried to shake-off the moist but without effect.

_What is happening?! Should I worry about my life..?_

He tried to climb up to his feet but the weather changed again. Cruel, sudden frost spread across his wet skin and bit him right into bones. Yuuri choked with pain and began trembling uncontrollably.

_Help.._

For the first time, he started to be afraid that he actually _might_ die on the spot.

"Yuuri Katsuki, do you value your current life?" Suddenly he heard Victor´s voice in his head; and his own, too.

"I do."

He saw himself from the third person´s perspective, the scenes from the last couple of days appearing before his eyes like in a movie. He saw himself, Victor, his parents.. He didn´t realize the pain anymore, or his freezing body. His heart was again beating calmly and warmed him in his chest.

_Mari, Mom.. I´m sorry. I guess I won´t make it home today._

Flash of golden light stung him sharply into his sight. With eyes half-open, Yuuri saw some silhouette fly across the sky. It was unbelievably fast, jumping from one spot to the other. Finally, that hideous fog slowly fell apart and Yuuri noticed the temperature rising back to normal. He gasped for air and gritted his teeth in return. Sharp prickling everywhere on his skin has told him that life is coming back to his body. The sky was clear again and the sun was just setting. Yuuri couldn´t bring himself to get on his feet - he was too tired for that. He just kept lying on the sidewalk and recollected himself from everything he went through from the minute he left his office.

"That was close," he heard the merry voice coming from the person in front of him. "It seems I came just in time."

Two hands with brownish skin appear in front of his eyes and helped him to sit straight although his body protested. For a second time that day, Yuuri felt like the time had stopped for a moment. He was far too familiar with those brown eyes, gazing into his own. Phichit´s face appeared in front of him, reflecting all kinds of emotions.

"Yuuri?" he asked in confusion.

\--

For a second, Yuuri thought that his eyes are misleading him again and he is looking at Phichit´s doppelgänger. But after he spoke to him all doubts were lost. It was certainly Phichit - except he didn´t look like him at all. The Phichit he knew would certainly never wear something so.. _historical_. Yuuri´s sight slid from Phichit´s bare chest glittering with sweat to the simple, white tunic running to his elbows and stuck into tight red trousers with short, golden sash instead of a belt. What Yuuri couldn´t overlook were two medium-sized swords, one in each of his hands and bloody stain spreading out from open wound on his leg.

"Phichit!" he yelped and fingered to the injury in horror.

"Yeah, I know. Let me take care of it."

Phichit quickly tossed swords away and held his hands in front of the wound. Soft golden light illuminated the surroundings and few minutes after the skin was again clean and intact. Yuuri´s pupils went wide.

_Incredible._

Then another flash of gold and suddenly, Phichit was standing there in his regular clothes. No blood, swords or anything.

"Yuuri, what are you doing here?" he asked again and came closer to him.

"Is-is that really you, Phichit?" asked Yuuri with a weak voice, too afraid of an answer. The scene he just went through seemed more like some sort of videogame than real life.

Moment of silence and then Phichit answered.

"Yes, it´s me."

Yuuri took a deep breath and then looked firmly in his eyes. "In that case, I believe you can explain.. all of this."

Phichit facial expression changed and Yuuri could easily tell he isn´t comfortable with the current conversation. He sighed and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yuuri, I know we are best friends but you should just forget about all this. It will be better for everyone. Trust me."

Yuuri opened his mouth to protest loudly but then another being stepped out of the rising dark and Yuuri´s jaw fell open, unable to say anything for a couple of minutes.

_I think you should tell him, Phichit. I can sense a lot of potential in him._

That high-pitched, almost childish voice echoed in Yuuri´s mind and he noticed something that could be described as some very special exemplar of a cat. This cat, however, had pink eyes, talked without opening its mouth and from its ears grew long appendages, pointing to the ground and split in the end.

"You are.. alive?"

Yuuri finally found his voice again. The image of this very same animal smashed and shot to death on the ground was still vivid in his memory. The cat walked several meters to the Yuuri and sat in front of him.

_Greetings! My name is Kyuubey. Nice to meet you, Yuuri Katsuki._

"But.. how? How are you still alive? And how do you know my name?"

Yuuri still stood frozen and gazed on the small animal. Kyuubey looked up to the Phichit who took it from the ground to his arms.

"Oh, so you can see him after all. Well, that changes everything."

Phichit looked around, stepped closer to Yuuri and whispered him in the ear.

"I can see people coming, so no talk in here. Tomorrow after work, come to my flat. I will be waiting there for you. See you, Yuuri."

Before Yuuri could realize it, Phichit and that strange animal were gone and he again found himself in the middle of the street, words frozen on his lips.

\--

The next 24 hours went in a blur for Yuuri. He vaguely remembered going home, calling his mom and apologizing for not coming over. Then, lying in his bed, the grief for Mari struck him deeply and he cried himself to sleep. He woke up in the middle of the night screaming from the nightmare. All sweaty, he managed to wait until sunrise and went to the work despite feeling like a zombie. He seriously considered calling sick but then changed his mind hoping to find Phichit at work. But he didn´t manage to see him until the lunch when Otabek told him that Phichit took his vacation for today and that Yuuri actually looks like a zombie. When the time finally came close to the 5 PM, he grasped his stuff and almost run out of the building. He was desperate for answers.

_These last few days are like from the life of someone else. I see strange animals, hear weird voices.. this never happened to me before. Not to mention Victor a now Phichit, too. I bet there is some connection between all of this. And if not, then I´m definitely going crazy._

\--

Yuuri finally came to Phichit´s apartment and found out with surprise that door was already open.

"Come in," he heard from inside.

He quickly took off his shoes and went straight to the living room. Phichit was already sitting on the couch with Kyuubey in his lap and caressing him.

"Please, sit here," Phichit offered him a place next to him and a beer. Yuuri appreciated it. Kyuubey removed himself from Phichit and lay in Yuuri´s lap instead. Yuuri dared to caress him too, amazed by the softness of his fur. Phichit coughed and seemed to be ready for a talk, so Yuuri turned his face to him and waited patiently.

"So, Yuuri.. where to begin, huh?" Phichit opened his bottle, took a sip, placed it on a table and then folded his hands in the lap.

"I believe you deserve an explanation about all of it. So, I won´t make you wait any longer. First of all, how did you ended up in such a horrible storm?"

_What does that have to do with it?_

Yuuri sighed mentally but replied and briefly described his yesterday´s afternoon. After he finished, Phichit looked visibly sad.

"First of all, my deepest condolences for Mari. She was truly a wonderful woman and sure also the best sister."

Yuuri nodded, the lump in his throat prevented him to thank him properly.

"How about I told you, however, that was not an ordinary storm?"

Yuuri wasn´t surprised. Nothing that happened in his life after Victor Nikiforov appeared in it was ordinary.

"Stop beating around the bush, Phichit," he said more angrily than he felt.

"Okay, okay," Phichit surrendered. "You were chosen by Kyuubey, after all."

"What does it mean exactly - 'being chosen'?" asked Yuuri curiously. So far, nobody had chosen him for anything, with a few exceptions.

 _It means_ \- Kyuubey nodded his head and joined the conversation - _that you have the potential to become a witch hunter. Make a contract with me and I will grant you any wish!_

_What..?_

Yuuri´s mind somehow went blank for a couple of seconds.

"Hey, Yuuri!"

Phichit waved his arms in front of his face.

"Are you okay? Maybe we should postpone this and you can go home and rest-"

"No," Yuuri interrupted him hastily. He needed _answers_.

"Kyuubey," he turned around. "It was you, who called me before? I heard your voice in my head.

 _Yes!_ The animal replied with a cheerful voice.

 _Strange,_ Yuuri thought for himself. _His tone doesn´t change and it seems he can communicate only telepathically._

 _That´s true,_ confirmed Kyuubey.

 _Hey! You can hear me like this?_ Yuuri was stunned. This was his first mind-to-mind conversation.

 _Don´t forget about me,_ Phichit joined himself.

_Phichit! You can hear me too?_

_Now, yes. Not before. We´ll get there_.

"But," Yuuri switched back to the oral conversation since it feels more natural to him, "that´s just not possible, Kyuubey. I saw you _dead_."

He considered describing his strange encounter with Victor but decided to keep it for himself for now.

 _It´s possible. I have many bodies. You can´t just kill me,_ Kyuubey replied.

 _What are you two talking about?_ asked Phichit, visibly concerned. _Yuuri, you didn´t mention-_

 _Sorry about that, I´ll tell you later,_ Yuuri interrupted him.

"So.. witch hunters..?" he asked again out loud.

"Yes," Phichit came back to the topic. "I was just about to tell you. That fog, abnormal rain, everything you told me about. That wasn´t some natural phenomenon. That was a witch."

Phichit paused and waited for Yuuri´s reaction.

"Okay, I will need more information, if you´re serious." Yuuri wasn´t sure if this is not just another of Phichit´s beloved Canadian jokes, although _slightly_ farfetched. But his friend´s face remained deadly serious.

"I´m telling you the truth. That´s what you wanted, am I right? Witches ..are probably the main reason of all mysterious disappearances, suicides, and murders in this world."

Yuuri nested on his seat, eager to hear more.

"Of course regular people don´t know about them. Witches shroud themselves in their mazes and so remain invisible to the outside world. Yesterday, that storm was a witch´s maze. They arise from negative emotions like anger, sorrow, uncertainty.. Witches take advantage of the slightest weakness and manipulate your mind. Once the prey discovers itself in a maze, usually it´s too late for the rescue. Most people won´t come alive from encounter with a witch. You had extraordinary luck yesterday, Yuuri."

Phichit looked firmly in his eyes and Yuuri nodded to continue.

"Fortunately, there are people who can see witches and fight them. They are called witch hunters and I´m one of them. Unfortunately, witch hunters are pretty rare. For all I know, I´m the only one in the city. And I can tell you, it´s pretty exhausting. I fight witches every night, then get some rest and go to work as if nothing happened. There were times when I wasn´t even sure if I make it to the morning. When you are a witch hunter, you can pretend you live a normal life, but.. you are the only one that knows the true reality. After some years, it gets pretty lonely." Phichit´s words faded until he went completely silent and some kind of quiet sadness rested upon his face.

It was the first time Yuuri saw this expression on Phichit, but it seemed oddly familiar. He realized now how _alone_ Phichit must felt all that time. His masquerade was perfect - no one could really tell how deep sadness was this cheerful, always smiling man holding within him. He leaned forward and hugged him tightly. He had no doubts about what Phichit had told him; he believed him. After all, he experienced it through his own skin. Phichit hugged him back, wiped away a small tear from his eye and smiled slightly.

"Except you, I haven´t told this to anyone. And I´m telling you only because you were chosen by Kyuubey. Otherwise, I would probably carry this secret with me to the grave. All I want is to stay alive and help people in this city, just like I saved you yesterday. I mean, it´s not I was completely alone all this time, there were a few other witch hunters.. but let´s face it, they didn´t last long. You can tell I´m kind of veteran at this point."

"Phichit, how did it happen? How did you become..a witch hunter?" asked Yuuri, still in a tight hug with his friend.

"You´re very smart, Yuuri," Phichit whispered in his ear. "Just think hard enough and you will found out".

He never let go of Yuuri´s hug and Yuuri realized just how desperately Phichit´s need for human contact was. He lifted his chin a little, leaned on and gave him a small kiss. He hoped it will help him to forget for a minute about his heavy burden.

\--

Yuuri spent the night, eventually. He couldn´t just go home and he wanted to explore more about everything - about witches, witch hunters and their small world hid before outsiders. He helped Phichit with clean-up, then discussed their work assignment a little and finally went to sleep - which in reality means staying up and chat. Questions just kept going out of Yuuri.

"Can we really communicate telepathically right now? How do you fight witches? Are you not afraid? Do you have superpowers? Do you know any other witch hunters? How did you meet Kyuubey? Does he help you during the fight?"

"Slow down, Yuuri," chuckled Phichit. "Although I´m a veteran, it doesn´t mean I know everything."

"So answer me, what you can."

"Should I assume that you want to become a witch hunter too and now you´re gathering information?" asked Phichit.

Yuuri thought about it for a minute and then slowly replied.

"Maybe."

"Okay, but after this, I am really going to sleep. If you want, you can stay up all night and talk to Kyuubey. I´m not even sure I have seen him sleep once. So, telepathy," started Phichit and Yuuri could see his eyes sparkling in the moonlight, gazing into ceiling and arms crossed behind his head.

"Yes, we can use it now since Kyuubey sensed potential in you. Apparently, you have what it takes to become a witch hunter; so despite you haven´t formed a contract yet, we are able to communicate this way. It seems tempting and comfortable, but I recommend you to keep it for Kyuubey only. People notice it, you know. I don´t want Otabek to find out."

"You mean we have to hide it in front of him for the rest of our lives? I´m not sure if I can do it. He is my friend, after all."

Phichit sighed. "He is my friend too; but Yuuri, you have to. It´s for his protection. He barely survived that JJ accident and now he discovers that the world is full of monsters that can kill him any time? Think about it. Witches attack predominantly people that are mentally unstable and most of the time, Otabek is walking on thin ice. Just one word about JJ or him having a bad day could easily flip him to the other side."

Yuuri had to admit that Phichit was right.

"Sorry. Continue."

"Now about fighting witches. I believe this should grab your interest. Watch me for a moment."

Flash of golden light appeared and Phichit stood in his bedroom again in those historical clothes and two swords. "Each witch hunter has own unique style and magic. Oh, stop laughing at me, please. I didn´t choose these clothes. I was horrified for the first time I saw them too, but they are really practical and my swords, too. They save my life every time."

 _The contract is based upon a wish which is usually something connected close to the heart of the human being chosen for it,_ meddled Kyuubey, licking his pawns. _I can´t predict or influence what will your appearance be as a witch hunter. So if you are wearing such an outfit there must be part of you which wants to look like this._

"Anyway," Phichit returned to the previous topic, cheeks little bit flushed, "as you may have already deduced, power of the normal human is nothing against witches. I haven´t met a lot of other witch hunters, but the main superpower - or magic, if you wish - is usually connected with the wish which led to the contract. As a witch hunter you automatically get also inhuman power, increased healing skills and you don´t age. All of this helps you to beat the witch.

One witch, usually, but there exist also powerful witches which demand more than one witch hunter to kill them. There are also cities where witch hunters form coalitions which enables them to hunt more witches at once, so they don´t have to go hunting every other night as I do. But it all depends on the individual´s potential detected by Kyuubey. If it´s low, Kyuubey stays invisible for them. Of course, this potential can change during lifetime; sometimes is detected sooner, sometimes later or never.”

 _I wonder what my potential is_ , thought Yuuri, but kept this subject for him now.

"My weapons are these two swords," Phichit took one out and handed it over to Yuuri so he could see it in detail. Considering everything Phichit told him about witches and risking his life, Yuuri just couldn´t believe two swords are enough to defeat such malicious creatures.

"You´re right," Phichit somehow captured his train of thoughts. "But I´m a witch hunter and can use magic, after all. Look."

Phichit grabbed his sash and unbound it from his waist. Flash of golden light appeared and suddenly there were two sashes instead of one. Then something unbelievable happened - both sashes _transformed_ into other swords. Yuuri again caught himself with mouth open wide. Phichit winked.

"And that´s not everything."

He began to move his arms, swords floating in the air in the same direction. Suddenly there were not two swords, but at least ten; flying in the air, blades menacingly sharp, slight shining in the moonlight. With another golden flash, some swords enlarged massively while others stayed in their original size. Yuuri also noticed that swords weren´t identical - some were smaller with a hooked edge, others lean and straight, but without a doubt all deadly. Then Phichit clapped his hands and everything disappeared in a golden light. When Yuuri could see clearly again, Phichit was still standing in his outfit and held a single sash in his hands. He smiled and again bound the sash on his hips.

"Multiplication and transformation.. those are my two superpowers. Of course, I had to learn a lot, so I wasn´t always as strong as I am now. I believe my magic is much more effective as it was in the beginning, but it wouldn´t be wise to lose respect before witches. You can´t stay still, you must always fight to become stronger. If you don´t use your powers, it´s like you´re resenting your wish and vice versa. Fear is natural, but it doesn´t have a place in our world. Eat or be eaten.. That´s what it is all about."

Phichit smiled at him once more and then lied comfortably in his bed, calling it a night.

Yuuri just gazed in awe on all of this. Everything that Phichit said was so cool that he thought for a second to make a contract, too. But part of his brain reminded him that this is no child play on superheroes. Phichit admitted repeatedly that he was on the brink of death several times. So what on earth could make a soft-heartedly person like Phichit throw everything behind him to become a witch hunter? What was the breaking point?

"Phichit.." he whispered softly in the darkness. "What was your wish?"

Silence on the other side of the room was so long that Yuuri thought Phichit is deliberately avoiding the answer. But according to his breathing, Yuuri could tell that his friend hadn´t fallen asleep yet. Finally, Phichit turned his head towards Yuuri, eyes wide like dark tunnels.

"The wish, Yuuri.. that´s the only thing that matters. Think long and hard about it, because after you make a contract, you don´t get a second chance. When I formed my contract.. let´s say I didn´t have another choice. It´s been three years already, but the pain still didn´t vanish."

Yuuri was lost in thoughts for a moment. _Three years.. what happened three years ago, that it changed everything?_ The answer came to him when he was almost asleep. His body winced.

"The accident.." he gasped into the silence.

"Bingo," whispered Phichit.

Three years ago, Phichit became a victim of a horrible accident where during holiday trip their car went off a cliff unintended and all passengers including Phichit´s parents and his two siblings died. Phichit came from a prominent family and after weeks of investigations, the police concluded that the driver had been struck by a stroke in the most critical moment - a sharp curve above the stone cliff. Phichit was a sole survivor and media described it as "a miracle". Of course, Yuuri now knew clearly what kind of miracle that was.

"I just wanted to _live_. After that horrible fall, I woke up in a car wreck, everyone around me dead already. I was heavily wounded, in a lot of pain and already began to lose consciousness. That´s when I saw Kyuubey. He offered me to save me. One wish for a new life. Only later I realized how much it changed everything, including me. I was _so_ selfish. If only I could save my brothers or parents. But when you are looking in the face of death, you don´t think rationally. So I ended up living and everyone I loved is dead. That´s why I told you that you should think carefully about your wish. Because you have time to do it, but I didn´t."

After a short pause, Phichit continued.

"However, I do believe that Kyuubey showing up wasn´t a coincidence. Things have been probably predetermined like this. I know my loved ones are watching me from the sky above, so I have to try my best. I was given a second chance to save as many people as I can. I think this was probably keeping me up on my feet for all that time."

Phichit yawned.

"Goodnight, Yuuri. I hope I didn´t scare you, but the truth is sometimes the most harmful of all the weapons we own. And.. don´t pity me, either. I didn´t choose to survive just to cause harm to somebody else. I love you too much for that."

With a smile, Phichit turned on the other side and after a while, he fell asleep. Yuuri tried to do the same, but his brain only reluctantly surrendered to his body. _One wish.. what would be an ideal wish? To cure cancer? Be vastly wealthy and do whatever you want till the end of time? Or.. to revive dead?_

His heart clenched at the very fresh loss of his sister.

_Would it be even possible? I must ask Phichit tomorrow.. If I become a witch hunter too, he wouldn´t be alone anymore.._

With these thoughts, Yuuri finally brought himself on the brink of sleep.

 _Getting one wish granted, no matter what the miracle.. that could be truly wonderful_.


	4. Miracles and Magic Exist

****The next day Yuuri woke up, a little bit confused from a change of environment. Phichit was already awake and preparing breakfast.

"Good morning, sunshine," he chuckled at Yuuri´s messy hair all around his head. "We better get going soon before somebody in the work notice we´re not there."

Yuuri nodded, his head still full of witches, miscellaneous weapons and wishes.

 _Hey, Yuuri. I have an idea._ Phichit cheerful voice again echoed in Yuuri´s mind.

 _Didn´t you say that we should avoid this communication in front of other people?_ Yuuri replied, still confused from everything.

_I did and I´m glad you remember. At least I know you were paying attention last night._

Yuuri frowned but decided to let it go. He was used to this friendly joking anyway.

_Hello, Yuuri._

Yuuri heard another voice and looked down from the spot it was coming out. Kyuubey looked at him from the carpet.

 _Have you decided on your wish already?_ he asked, spinning his tail from left to right and back.

 _Already?? Errm..no, not yet,_ Yuuri thought back nervously.

_The sooner, the better, if you ask me. Although it´s strange. Usually, the chosen ones make contract immediately._

_Kyuubey!_ admonished him Phichit loudly. _Don´t push him. Give him time._

Yuuri gratefully looked at Phichit.

"Don´t mind him, Yuuri. There are no emotions where he comes from; so sometimes he sounds rude to other people," Phichit switched back to normal conversation.

"I have an idea," he repeated. "How about you go with me next time I´ll go hunting? When you will face a witch on your own, see it with your eyes, you´ll get much a clearer idea than I could provide you. Maybe after that, you will decide if you have a wish so great you´re willing to put your life in danger."

Yuuri suddenly felt flattered and frightened at the same time. This was probably written all over his face because Phichit took his hand and squeezed it tightly.

"You have nothing to worry about. I´m experienced enough to protect you. I´m absolutely sure about it."

Yuuri literally felt the stone fell of his heart.

"Okay," he nodded and smiled a little. "I´ll give it a try. With you, I´m not afraid."

"Oh, Yuuri! That´s great!" Phichit hugged him, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically.

Then he looked at his phone and sighed.

"But now we really have to run to work."

\--

The day in the office went in the blink of an eye and Yuuri impatiently waited till evening. When Phichit finally called him, he couldn´t hide his agitation.

"Hey!" smiled Phichit as Yuuri appeared at his door. "I appreciate your excitement, but you shouldn´t forget that it will be dangerous."

"I know," replied Yuuri, "that´s why I took this with me."

He reached out for his bag and pull out a small baseball bat. Phichit couldn´t help but started to laugh loudly and finished only after tears filled his eyes. He wiped them off but eventually patted Yuuri - who was now pretty red in his face - on his shoulder.

"Good, good, it sure will help. You just always surprise me somehow."

Yuuri only mumbled something.

"Okay." Phichit got more serious. "The sun is almost setting, so we can start."

"Why did we have to wait the whole day, anyway?" asked Yuuri.

"First of all, fewer people on the streets - that will help us to identify the susceptible civilians more quickly. And secondly, most of the witches' attacks are happening in the evening. Yuuri, did you ever notice this ring?"

It seemed like a sudden change of topic for Yuuri, but he took Phichit´s hand and looked on the ring in detail.

"Now that you mention it.. I noticed you started to wear it soon after that accident, but I never asked you.. is this some sort of commemoration for your family?"

He let go of the hand and Phichit slid the ring out of his middle finger.

"Not exactly," he said. "Look."

A glow of golden light appeared and on Phichit´s palm appeared something like a crystal embedded in the golden mount, soft light pulsing slowly like a heartbeat. It was truly beautiful and Yuuri gasped in awe. Then another flash of light and the crystal transformed back into the ring which Phichit returned to Yuuri. Yuuri could now see a golden gem embedded in the middle of the ring and something illegible carved in the metal. The ring was surprisingly warm under his touch. He looked up at Phichit and saw he was smiling brightly, like a proud kid owing something very valuable. He reached out his hand for the ring.

"This is a Soul Gem," he explained when the crystal appeared back on his palm. "It arises after the contract is made and it´s a source of witch hunter´s magical power. Very useful thing. Do you see that pulsing? These are the tracks of magical energy left either by a witch or a witch hunter. Of course, there are much more witches in this town than us, so it´s safe to assume that it is coming from a witch. With Soul Gem it´s possible to track the witch down and destroy it, eventually. We will just keep going and look for any changes in the pulsing."

With these words, Phichit waited for Kyuubey to join them, locked the door and start walking towards with Yuuri following him.

"Phichit, you know, I wanted to ask you.." started Yuuri.

"Tell me, what is troubling you?" replied the other man, with one eye checking the pulsing from time to time. Kyuubey kept the pace with both of them, sometimes flicking his ears or tail.

"You repeatedly said you are the only witch hunter in this city. Why?"

"What do you mean?" frowned Phichit a little and kept going.

"I mean.. when witches are so bad and keep killing people, wouldn´t it be better to unite and kill them more effectively? Like you told me before, about alliances and all of it..?"

"That was the only one example," sighed Phichit. "In general, it doesn´t work that way. There is a high competitivity between individual witch hunters. In small cities like this, you usually find only one witch hunter. Two, at tops. You see, after killing a witch you get some.. compensation for it. Of course, nobody is willing to share. I fully understand that, but I could get used to having an ally."

Phichit went silent and despite Yuuri want to ask many other things, he just kept watching the pulsing.

"It´s not changing at all," he said eventually with a quiet tone.

"Hmm, I noticed that too. Maybe we are moving in the wrong direction. But I don´t think so. The tracks of magical energy are just too small."

So they kept going and when Yuuri couldn´t stand the silence anymore, he started asking questions again.

"How do you find the witch eventually?"

"I´m not a prophet, Yuuri, so I can only guess. Looking for a witch basically involves a lot of walking. Soul Gem will lead you to it, eventually. Of course, there are places with a higher probability of criminality, like dark alleys or abandoned locations.. but in most cases, the witch´s curse most commonly ends up in traffic accidents or injuries. So I always check main roads, crossroads, but also bridges and tall buildings in case of suicide.. The worst-case scenario is witch born in hospital or nursing homes, for example. If you consider how many people are inside, weak and unable to defend themselves.."

Phichit shook his head and Yuuri shivered.

"That´s why I go hunting in the evening. No other people are around and the individual is more likely to lose its focus and gets lured in the maze. The witch recognizes its prey, starts to emit more magic and thus helps me to find it."

Yuuri frowned on the word 'prey' but decided to let it go. After all, Phichit was a veteran, had years of experience, faced death several times - who was he to even compare with him?

_Phichit! Yuuri!_

Kyuubey suddenly spoke to them in their heads.

_I can sense strong magical energy from that spot._

Both men turned their heads to him and then to the Soul Gem. Indeed, it was shining brightly and the pulses appeared stronger as if it was demanding attention.

"Crap, we were talking and didn´t focus.." cursed Phichit.

_Kyuubey! Lead us!_

Yuuri heard Phichit´s voice and saw him and Kyuubey started running forward.

_It this case, telepathy is pretty useful._

Phichit turned his head back and winked at Yuuri.

\--

Finally, they came close to their target. It was an old, derelict building with graffiti on walls and broken windows. Some woody, thorny shrubs were growing around the building and contributed to the overall gloomy view in front of them. It was almost complete darkness, but Soul Gem was shining bright enough to illuminate their pathway as they stepped inside of the house. Phichit transformed, two swords in his hands and was carefully looking around. Yuuri clung to his baseball bat.

"Yuuri, give me that for a moment," Phichit took the bat from him, put a hand on it and - miraculously - the bat grew bigger with metal thorns on it, yet stayed surprisingly light.

"Some transformation magic. Nothing special, but it could help you," he smiled and pass the bat back to amazed Yuuri.

A sudden scream above them took their attention.

 _Hurry!_ yelled Phichit and all three run up the creaky stairs in front of them. Yuuri noticed how hot it got again, sweat rolling down his forehead. Phichit was before him and already heading forward.

"Look, Yuuri!" he shouted, gasping for air. "That´s the witch´s maze! From now on, we must be really careful."

Yuuri looked up and froze in the movement. Something like an ancient gateway appeared in front of him and reminded him pictures from history class. The surface had fade grey color, with no particular design details and the edges were trembling slightly. It was placed in the middle of the room but the rest of the house couldn´t be seen _through_ it. The air inside seemed swirling and forming lazy bubbles of unidentified color. Although nothing could be seen, Yuuri was certain that something behind that gateway is _alive_ and gulped down nervously.

"Yuuri!" Phichit´s voice took him back to the earth. "We must go! Just follow me and keep close to me, okay?"

With these words, he reached his hand and pulled Yuuri closer.

"Don´t worry," he whispered and both of them stepped forward to that swirling mass.

If someone stood in the very same room at that moment, he would swear that two adult men just vanished in the air.

\--

What Yuuri saw in the next moments, couldn´t be described else as _surreal_. The whole labyrinth looked like an inside of the building they were in, but the rest of it was just out of this world. The colors were blinding, mixing and swirling together in the craziest combinations. Yuuri stood with his mouth open and watched the area rebuilding _itself_ and resulting in new shapes. The maze was clearly a small world on its own, breathing and moving like any other living being.

 _Remember that strange rain, Yuuri? Laws of physic don´t have to apply in the maze because the witch´s magic easily surpasses them. Sometimes, it can be an advantage during the fight_ , Phichit´s voice echoed within his head.

 _Okay, from now on we will communicate this way. We must minimize the noises and try spending not too much magic as it would lead the witch´s attention towards us more quickly. First of all, we must find the civilian and then we will focus on a witch. Yuuri, are you okay?_ asked Phichit again.

With a firm look in his eye, Yuuri slightly nodded but kept looking around. For some reason, he felt _something_ is in the maze with them. And then he saw some creature running around in the maze, seeming not to notice them at all. It was the size as average human, round-shaped and sniffing around. He froze again and suddenly found itself stuck behind something he didn´t even bother to name.

 _This is a familiar_ , he heard again Phichit´s voice. _It´s not a witch yet, but it can manage to become one. It´s something like witch´s companion. You can usually find them in a maze. In a better case, you can avoid them. This time.. we will see._

They stayed hidden and the familiar left. Yuuri felt like his heart was about to explode from both excitement and fear.

 _Yuuri, are you afraid?_ Familiar childish tone reached his mind and he saw Kyuubey tucked in between his feet. _I can make you a witch hunter right away if you wish so._

Yuuri looked up at the Phichit but he seemed to be more focused on his Soul Gem and figured out that his friend was probably excluded from the conversation.

 _It´s okay.. for now, Kyuubey,_ he replied.

Another scream came from the labyrinth and this time it sounded more desperate.

_Okay, we can´t stay here anymore._

Phichit unbounded his sash and multiplied it. The sashes kept floating around them as they stepped out from their hideout.

_Let´s go!_

Phichit was now running steadily and Yuuri followed him. He just continued to be amazed by the perfection of his friend as a witch hunter. His face was tough, body slim, eyes dark and focused as he ran through the maze, turning from right to left with swords flying in the air and following him. His movements were unable to be captured with human eyes. Yuuri could only watch as the bodies of familiars stabbed through with swords were piling up on the ground. Phichit was both beautiful and deadly and Yuuri´s admiration for him only got bigger.

 _I´m afraid.._ he thought, running through the surprisingly picturesque space, _hell, I´m terrified, but somehow.. I´m enjoying it at the same time! What is wrong with me?!_

_There he is!_

Phichit´s thoughts broke his own, his movements accelerated even more and Yuuri desperately tried to keep close to him with Kyuubey running by his right side.

And really, in a minute he saw it too - the man was lying on the ground, Phichit already by him, taking his hands into his own and golden light appeared again. The stranger seemed unconscious and Yuuri noticed his wrists were cut. He watched in horror the hideous pool of blood spreading around the body, drenching into the man´s clothes. He felt sudden nausea and despite overall heat, the sweat froze on his skin.

_It´s okay, he´s not dead.. yet. But he lost a lot of blood. I can heal it, but it´ll take a while. Yet again, we came just in time._

Phichit´s soft tone calmed Yuuri down and he kept watching as the skin repaired itself, the wounds were closing and slowly, colour came back into man´s face. Although he had seen in before, it still felt.. _unbelievable._ Phichit carefully leaned the man against a wall, away from all the blood.

 _I could wake him up but right now we must focus on the witch. So we´ll just leave him here. Kyuubey,_ he turned around to the animal, _can you keep eye on him for a while?_

 _Of course, Phichit,_ cheerful tone echoed in their minds _. You are already close to the core of the labyrinth. Just call me if anything happens. You too, Yuuri._

 _Thank you,_ smiled Phichit slightly and then turned back to Yuuri. _And now, the finale._

Yuuri found himself standing against another gate, this one more surreal than the ancient gateway that brought them into the maze.

_Ready?_

Phichit gave him a questioning look.

Yuuri gritted his teeth and nodded.

_No way I´m gonna run away now._

He took a deep breath and stepped in.

A whole new look was offered to them. They were standing in a large oval area, at least of the size of a football stadium. Again crazy colors everywhere, Yuuri even spotted some familiars. And in the middle, there was - _a witch_. No words would be sufficient to describe what Yuuri saw. The witch was obnoxious, large and shifted slowly on the ground. It´s appearance looked like it was glued from parts of animals, flowers, even humans. Yuuri immediately felt so strong disgust that he had to turn away for a minute.

 _Yuuri, don´t let it get to your head!_ shouted Phichit and then send several giant swords into the what appeared as witch´s head.

"Hello," he smirked when he took witch´s attention.

_You stay here, Yuuri. Don´t worry about anything._

Phichit looked back on him and squeezed his hand; then jumped forward and vanished from Yuuri´s eyesight.

Yuuri´s first initial reaction was a scream, but he reflexively covered his mouth with his palms and managed to stay quiet. He watched as Phichit smoothly slid through the air, sending swords at the familiar while dodging witch´s attack. This one seemed to have some tentacles which were pursuing Phichit as he kept cutting them off one by one. Yuuri was worried sick about his best friend but somehow couldn´t stop watching the massacre. But the wheels of fortune were turning for Phichit this time as the witch seemed to slowly minimize its movement and settled in the middle of open space.

Phichit then transformed one giant sash to the majestic sword and then even enlarged it to the size of at least family house. He took that enormous weapon, tossed it in a straight direction and then the sword pined witch on the ground, stabbed through. Phichit created multiple smaller swords which cut into witch´s body instantly, carving it in an unbelievable amount of small pieces, over and over, until the fight finally ended and Phichit stood in the pile of dust. When Yuuri dared to peek over, he saw him standing in the middle of the labyrinth and pulling something out of dust. Then he turned to him with a bright face and waved.

_We made it, Yuuri!_

Just like that, Yuuri noticed that temperature decreased immediately, the air around him trembled and the maze fell apart. Dust, familiars, crazy colors - it all vanished in a few moments. He looked around and again saw just stained walls with tatters of tapestry and a half-broken chandelier hanging from the ceiling. One big jump and Phichit was already next to him, illuminating himself with the Soul Gem.

"Look, Yuuri. This is what I was talking about before on our way here. It´s called a Grief Seed."

Something small appeared on the palm of Phichit´s hand, no bigger than an egg, round-shaped with black color and complex ornaments on its surface. It stood on a thin, sharp-ended holder which gently touched Phichit´s hand.

"You´re quite right. It can be called witch´s 'egg'. Don´t worry, it´s safe in this form. Actually, Grief Seeds are essential for witch hunters. Look at my Soul Gem, Yuuri. It´s not as bright as when we started our little night adventure, is it?"

Yuuri had to admit that his friend was right. However, the light was still strong enough to illuminate at least part of the room. Phichit winked and put Grief Seed and Soul Gem together in a way they touched. Some black cloud arose from Soul Gem and transferred into Grief Seed and after a couple of seconds, Soul Gem again lit up brightly. Yuuri eyes widened, cast on Phichit, demanding an explanation.

"And that´s the whole miracle. Grief Seed´s purpose is to clean up Soul Gem and now the magic I spent is again at normal. I am feeling better, actually," he smiled and continued. "But not all witches drop the Grief Seed after the fight and one Grief Seed can be used two times at tops. Perhaps now you understand more the background of competitivity among witch hunters."

Yuuri nodded for himself.

"Okay, time to finish this up," said Phichit.

_Kyuubey, how is that man doing?_

The answer came in instant.

_Everything is okay, but you should hurry up. It looks like he´s about to wake up._

_We´re on the way._

"Come, Yuuri. We must go," Phichit took his hand and led him through the dust and dirt on the ground.

Yuuri was still a little bit shocked by everything he went through and remained silent for a while. Finally, the warmth of Phichit´s hand and silence around him calmed him enough to speak.

"Phichit, that was.. I´m in lack of words, kind of.."

He felt the gentle squeeze on his hand, reassuring him.

"It´s okay, Yuuri. We can talk in a couple of days. I understand it´s a lot and all at once. Everyone would be terrified. But you were great and very brave."

Despite Yuuri couldn´t see Phichit´s look, he heard what he needed to hear. Phichit managed to protect him as he promised. He truly was the best friend.

Only later Yuuri realized he had probably dropped his bat somewhere, but he didn´t mind. They finally came to the man who clearly wasn´t able to see Kyuubey sitting right next to him. Phichit quickly tossed the used Grief Seed to Kyuubey who stretched his back, _opened_ it and Grief Seed vanished within him. Yuuri tossed a questioning look on Phichit.

_It´s okay, he gets rid of them for us. Now about him.._

He rushed to the man who was visibly panicking and crying already, but Phichit somehow managed to calm him down and led them out of the building. He was still soothing the man down with low, soft voice, when he suddenly snapped his fingers, turned around and caught the clearly sleeping man. He gasped under the heavy body and carefully put him on the ground to a nearby standing tree.

"Don´t worry, Yuuri," answered Phichit the unspoken question from Yuuri´s lips. "Little bit enchantment magic, my old friend taught me this.. I persuaded him that he was having a nightmare and now he wants to sleep again. He will wake up in the morning and remember nothing about us or witches. This is all we can do for him at his point."

Phichit wiped off the sweat from his forehead and even managed to smile a little.

"Do you want to spend the night again?"

\--

The next couple of days were basically very similar to his first witch-hunt experience, but Yuuri would still describe it as amazing. Witches, witch hunters, curses and magic - it was still very surreal and difficult to comprehend, but it somehow fascinated him. Amazement went hand in hand with fear but Phichit always managed to protect him as he promised. Yuuri couldn´t possibly count what everything he had seen but it would certainly surpass anyone´s wildest imaginations.

One of these days they again sat in Phichit´s flat, beer in their hands, just enjoying the evening before a hunt.

"Hey, Phichit.. I wanted to ask you something. It´s.. uhm.. it´s about Victor. I´ve been thinking and.. well, I´m pretty sure he is a witch hunter, too."

Phichit gave him a curious look.

"How did you come to this conclusion, Yuuri?"

"Well.. there was this encounter I told you about, and he was asking such strange things.. if I value my life and so.. as if I´m going to die in some near future or what. I haven´t really thought it through until I saw him killing Kyuubey."

Phichit´s eyes went wide.

"Really? I mean - it´s impossible, but when did this happen?"

And so Yuuri told him everything that he could, describing Victor´s strange appearance, behavior and most certainly, the ring.

"That´s when I was sure. Until you told me about witch hunters, nothing made sense. But when we had that meeting about new supplies the other day, I looked at his hand and everything was clear to me."

Phichit sighed and took a sip from his beer.

"As I said, Yuuri, you´re very smart. I should anticipate you would find it out eventually. Well, he certainly is a witch hunter, too. Moreover, he seems pretty powerful. I´m sorry I lied to you before."

Yuuri could felt hidden guilt in these words. He leaned on and hugged Phichit.

"Don´t worry about it. What are you going to do? You said two witch hunters can´t coexist in a small city like this.."

"Actually, I had the honor to meet him already. I made myself clear about my territory, at least I hope so."

Yuuri understood and didn´t ask anymore. He didn´t want to think about the situation where Phichit would have to fight against Victor, whatever reason it should be. He wasn´t sure who would win and neither wanted any of them dead.

"Hey, the sun is setting," he gently poked Phichit in the shoulder. "Shouldn´t we get ready soon?"

"In a minute," the soft voice came from the other man buried in his chest and Yuuri felt the time stopped again.

\--

It was a long and heavy fight and Phichit ended up with several wounds, deeper than usual. He was hissing from pain and gritting his teeth when Yuuri was bandaging them.

"I healed them immediately, so why are they still bleeding?"

_This witch was more powerful than the others, so of course, her magic is stronger too. I cannot say with certainty when your wounds will heal completely._

Kyuubey stood next to them and spun his tail from side to side.

"Great," declared Phichit with a sarcasm, panting heavily when Yuuri was tucking him in the bed.

"Yuuri, there is no way I´m going to work today. I must heal first; it may take a whole day. Can you please tell my boss? I just hope he wouldn´t bitch about it since I´ve taken vacation pretty often these days.."

"Sure, but are you really going to be okay?"

Yuuri hated to leave him alone.

 _It´s okay, I´ve been worse than this_ , Phichit smiled at Yuuri. _I have Kyuubey here with me. I just need to rest a bit._

Yuuri nodded, carefully hugged him one last time and looked at his watch.

"Well, I should go. I hope I don´t fall asleep.. again," he tried to enlighten the mood. Phichit smiled a little, then closed his eyes and dozed off. Yuuri sighed and was just about put his shoes on when he spotted a small white silhouette walking in his direction.

_Will you look for him, Kyuubey? You can´t heal him, can you?_

_No, I am not capable of that. He must help himself. Have you been thinking about your wish, Yuuri?_

Yuuri looked at that expressionless face with pink eyes. It was true he had been thinking about it a lot but didn´t come up with anything specific.

 _Yes, but I still can´t decide. The best would be probably something that would help other people. In that way my life would at least have some purpose,_ he said as he was tying his shoes.

 _You should hurry up,_ said Kyuubey. _There is no point waiting. I can sense already that you will be a very talented witch hunter. Much more powerful than Phichit._

Yuuri gasped. Sure, he was told he had potential, but this was different. Very different.

 _How are you so sure about it?_ He asked, curiously.

_Of course, it depends also on what kind of wish you make when the contract is formed, but right now even I can´t estimate the size of your Soul Gem. You might become the most powerful witch hunter I have ever met._

Yuuri just turned around without any answer and stepped out of the door, locking behind him. The whole way to work he spent thinking if the universe really wants him to become a witch hunter, even if he was so unsure about everything.

\--

"Hey, Katsuki, can you bring this to the boss? I have a pile of work to do and he wants it right now, so if you´re free.."

Yuuri turned from the computer screen to his colleague who was handing him a thick green file; he nodded and took it in his arms.

"Thanks, Katsuki, you´re a real life-saver! I hate going to the boss, he always yells at me.."

Yuuri could understand that, though in most cases, luckily, he was just ignored by his boss.

"Okay, I am going then," he smiled a little, grabbed the file and went out of the room.

The hallway was relatively still, though some doors were open and he could hear people talking on the phone or to each other. His boss was just two stairs above his office, so Yuuri decided to skip the elevator and buy some extra free time for himself by walking up the stairs. He turned around the corner when he felt a familiar feeling of being watched. Yuuri looked to the left and there, leaning against a wall, stood Victor Nikiforov himself.

_Strange, now that I know about him, he somehow feels.. familiar._

Victor detached from the wall and stepped to him. The intensity of his sigh was incredible and Yuuri almost felt being stripped layer by layer, until there was almost nothing left. He stood there naked, with a heart on his palm, exposed and left to Victor´s mercy. The illusion was so vivid that he gasped and dropped the file which crashed on the floor and papers flew away in all directions. Yuuri blinked in confusion and came back to reality - he was still standing on the hallway with Victor just watching him.

He went red, crouched to the ground and started picking up the papers.

_Stupid Victor. He just shows around from nowhere with those stupid eyes of him.. why is it always me who has to endure it?! I always feel like naked in front of him, like he is looking right into me, browsing my heart, soul, and everything. Yet, I know nothing about him. Except-_

Yuuri tucked the papers back into the file, couldn´t care less about them. He stood back to his feet and looked firmly into those blue eyes.

"I know you´re a witch hunter, Victor," he said and just hoped that it sounded equally determined as he felt. Nothing could be read from the other man´s face; he just kept looking. Finally, he opened up his mouth.

"Is that so?"

Yuuri was expecting another reaction, so he felt confused for a moment.

_He doesn´t care about civilian knowing all kinds of this stuff? Like.. at all? That´s just weird._

Victor probably noticed a glimpse of disappointment in his face since he interrupted his train of thoughts.

"Yuuri, I already know that _you_ know. I know it for some time now."

He sighed and for a moment his face looked softer and eyes more vulnerable. Yuuri had seen him like this before and he somehow _knew_ that deep inside, Victor is a very different person than on the outside. He wanted to know this other Victor too; he wanted to grasp him and pull him out on the daylight. Then Victor´s face changed and his inner self again slipped from Yuuri´s metaphorical fingers.

"So, what are you going to do now?" he asked, his eyes again icy blue, clear and glaring down on Yuuri. "Will you become a witch hunter, too?"

Yuuri wanted to say something, anything, but his mouth refused to work properly.

"Do you remember what I told you in that conference room?"

Yuuri remembered it clearly.

"I do." He found his voice again.

"Good," said Victor and leaned closer to him. "I hope you will take my former advice to the heart, then."

He stood up, making a clear signal that that conversation was over.

"See you, Yuuri."

"Wait!" yelled Yuuri. "I-"

_I want to ask him. I need to ask him._

"Victor, what was your wish?"

A silence settled between them and Yuuri knew right away he crossed the invisible line. Victor´s face hardened and without any other words, he turned on his heel and went in the opposite direction.

Like on purpose, doors around Yuuri started to open one by one and people stepped on the hallway, chatting about lunch and heading to the canteen. Victor got lost in the crowd and Yuuri was left behind, feeling like a moron with a bunch of papers in his hands.

\--

Yuuri was just heading back to his office from lunch when he spotted a familiar figure waiting by his door.

_Otabek._

He suddenly felt really ashamed that neither he nor Phichit had thought about him for several days. Considering the fact that Otabek hated being omitted and that JJ unlucky incident left him somehow _fragile_ , Yuuri knew that this conversation wouldn´t be a pleasant one.

"Hey, Otabek. What´s up?" he tried to sound casual, although he definitely wasn´t feeling that way.

"Hey, _Yuuri_."

Otabek wasn´t even trying, he was evidently pissed.

_Fuck._

"How about we meet today after work and talk a little?"

With Otabek´s frenzy eyes, Yuuri wasn´t left with many options.

"Okay."

"Great. I will come to get you," he turned around and stomped away.

Yuuri slipped to the office, luckily empty and realized he had been holding his breath the whole time. Furious Otabek was a _scary_ Otabek. Sure, most of the time he seemed very calm but both Yuuri and Phichit knew about the internal fight he was struggling.

_And yet we didn´t see him in days. We are really assholes._

Yuuri sighed and gloomily sat again in front of his computer.

\--

"So.. anything to tell me?"

They were sitting in a pub they always went to although Yuuri wasn´t really in a mood for drinking. Otabek, on the other hand, already took a few shots; but again - it was Otabek, freakily immune against any alcohol and Yuuri knew he would remain sober through the entire evening. He rather decided not to beat around the bush anymore. He looked firmly at Otabek and said in all honesty:

"Otabek, I am sorry I didn´t care about you much.. these days. I really am. I mean, Phichit sure is sorry, too."

"Where is he, anyway? Haven´t seen him in couple days, too," barked Otabek and ordered another shot.

"He is.. sick," said Yuuri.

It was true, _partly_. He took a deep breath and continued.

"Last days were really strange and I can´t tell you everything.. for some reasons, but.." Yuuri was unsure how to continue. He knew very well Phichit wouldn´t approve conversation about _magic_ with Otabek. But he had to give him at least _some_ explanation.

"What the _fuck_ , Yuuri?" screamed Otabek suddenly and punched his fist to the table.

Yuuri nearly jumped out from his seat and people went quiet and staring at them. Alcohol was spilled on the wood and was dropping down on Yuuri´s trousers. He froze in shock; never before had he seen Otabek lose head over _anything_. Until now.

"O-Otabek..?" he dared to ask after a few minutes and was relieved that other guests already dropped their interest in them.

"Look, I don´t know, what do you two do when you´re alone.. and honestly I don´t care much. But I still think of you as my friends. But now whenever I come to see you, you´re out of office; Phichit has been off for _days_ and none of you two obviously cared enough to say at least something to me, so I guess we aren´t such good friends as I thought we are.."

Otabek´s voice went still and Yuuri suddenly noticed that he didn´t look as usual. His eyes were jumping between Yuuri and some distant spot and seemed red, with bags under them. He kept touching his hair, fingers running through them; it looked messy and greasy.

"Otabek, did something happen?" he asked with the softest tone he was capable of.

Otabek looked at him; his lips were shivering, pronouncing some silent words. When he finally found his voice again, he spoke with a stone voice.

"They want to unplug him, Yuuri. Jean is going to die.. tomorrow."

Several moments passed before either of them was able to say anything. Yuuri barely noticed the hustle around them fading, faces and voices went blurry. Otabek was sitting with head in his palms and kept silent. All Yuuri could tell about the man in front of him was that he looked absolutely hopeless.

"Damn, Otabek! You´re telling me _this_ just now? I mean.. what the fuck?" Yuuri was searching hard for words.

Otabek looked at him, his eyes were now like two distant galaxies - impossible black, wide and empty. Just looking in them gave Yuuri goosebumps.

"Don´t you think I´ve tried? I´ve tried hard, believe me. It was you and Phichit that were always gone. Eventually, I decided to contact his family."

He again ran his fingers through his hair; it was a familiar move, repeated many times during past days. A crooked smile appeared on his face like remembering something unpleasant.

"I found out it was actually his _family_ who asked doctors for unplugging him from life support. Apparently, they decided to let him go since no one could say with certainty that Jean will wake up after he spent a whole year in a coma."

Otabek kept silent for a moment and Yuuri gulped down nervously.

"How long do you know?" he asked with a restrained voice.

"Two weeks," said Otabek so weakly that Yuuri started to panic.

_There has to be some way how to save him. It has to be! If not.._

"Okay," he pushed the thoughts away and started to think out loud. "What if we call the doctors and try to persuade them?"

"I tried that already," Otabek interrupted him. "I literally _begged_ \- begged anyone I could to postpone the decision and find another solution. No one listened. It is already tomorrow and unless some miracle happens.. I think it´s probably time to face the hard truth."

He again put his head into his hands and Yuuri could tell Otabek wasn´t far away from bursting in tears. He didn´t want to even think about what would happen if JJ really died. He and Phichit spend the last year literally saving their friend from insanity only to be thrown back at the beginning in the very end?

Otabek´s words again echoed in his mind. _Unless some miracle happens.._

_That´s it!_

"Otabek," said Yuuri and tried hard not to shake his voice. "They exist. Magic and miracles exist."

He took a deep breath.

"There is something you need to know."

\--

Yuuri somehow managed to get Otabek home with a promise he would come back as soon as possible. Otabek was heading right to the bed, eyes red and rambling something about JJ´s birthday. Yuuri had never seen him in such condition, but then he understood: whether it was due to JJ´s life hanging in the balance or unbelievable amount of alcohol, Otabek was totally drunk.

 _It´s not like I am surprised.. but I need to use these couple of hours for the best._ Yuuri carefully closed the front door and started running to Phichit´s place.

\--

"You must be kidding me."

Phichit´s eyes displayed all kinds of emotions but there was still a shadow of disbelief. He Yuuri was relieved that Phichit already managed to heal the major injuries and seemed to be well, but his stubbornness was sometimes unbearable. He sighed irritably.

"Phichit, for heaven´s sake.. I´ve told you three times already! If we don´t do something, JJ dies tomorrow and I am pretty sure Otabek would break. We both know him - he won´t last long."

"Okay, but what do you want me to do? Do you have any solution?"

Phichit slid from his bed and started walking quickly through the room. Kyuubey was sitting on the work desk and seemed to be listening to them, although he didn´t say anything.

"Well.. I was thinking, maybe you could heal him..?" asked Yuuri, carefully observing Phichit.

"Yuuri.. don´t you think it didn´t occur to me before?" said Phichit with a sad tone. Yuuri realized that if it would be possible, Phichit would probably cure JJ a long time ago. He looked back at Phichit who shook his head.

"I´m a good healer, but you must remember: I wished to heal myself. That means, my magic is most effective if I´m the one who is healed."

"But you healed me couple times and Kyuubey, too," reminded him Yuuri.

"Yes, I did. I can heal other people, too, just not that effective. And there´s another stumbling block - even his doctors apparently can´t estimate how large is the damage of JJ´s brain. I´m not even sure if I can do such a thing. The risk would be enormous - he could actually die on the spot. Not to mention he is in _Canada_ , while we´re in Japan and it´s the middle of the night."

Phichit sat back on the bed, panting for a moment, but then his breathing adjusted.

"Are you in pain?" asked Yuuri nervously.

"Eh, it´s nothing. Let´s just focus on this one, okay?" answered Phichit but sat back on the bed sheets.

"Okay," replied Yuuri. "So.. Otabek already tried to speak with both doctors and family members, but without results. Shit, we´re running out of options."

 _And time_.

He didn´t admit in front of Phichit that he actually thought about asking Victor for help. He was a witch hunter, after all; although Yuuri wasn´t sure about his magical powers. But eventually, he decided to let it go. He was sure that Phichit would be against it - they barely knew Victor and there was no guarantee he would be willing to help them in any way. There were just too many unknown parameters in this option.

_I´m sure we´re missing something. I feel the answer lies right in front of us, yet.._

Then something came to his mind.

 _Kyuubey_. Yuuri turned to the animal sitting on the table and licking his pawns. _Is it possible to make a wish for someone else?_

Kyuubey turned to him and flicked one of his ears.

_Yes, Yuuri. It´s not like it hasn´t happened before._

"Phichit!" he turned back to the bed. "What if Otabek became a witch hunter in order to heal JJ?" he asked and waited for the reaction.

He was surprised that Phichit remained still seated on the edge of the bed, he just turned his head and looked directly at him.

"Yuuri," said Phichit slowly, with emphasis on each word, "do you honestly feel this will help Otabek?"

It was a tough question. On one hand, Otabek could save the man he loved with all his being; but the prize for it just seemed too high. Yuuri was not a prophet - there was always an option that Otabek could be sooner or later killed by a witch. For what he understood from Phichit, witch hunters lived a short and tough life. The lesser people knew about them, the better. Would Otabek be ready for something like this?

"See? Even you don´t know the answer. Let´s say Otabek would be offered a contract right now, what do you think he would do?"

"He would accept it without hesitation," whispered Yuuri.

"Exactly," noted Phichit and continued. "And we´re back in the beginning. If JJ would figure out what Otabek did for him, he would be indebted to him for a lifetime. I think that would influence their relationship _a lot_. What if they broke up and Otabek will regret it in the future? Who will take the responsibility? I actually knew a witch hunter who used his wish for his family. You might think how noble that was, but in the end, he ended up responsible for his family´s death and lost almost all his magic. If you become a witch hunter for someone else´s sake then in certainty a time will come when your own wish comes back to haunt you. I´m really sorry for Otabek and JJ and everything around it, but.. you have to look on it in a bigger frame, Yuuri."

Phichit´s face was sad and soft and Yuuri knew those words weren´t easy to say for him, either. After all, he knew Otabek longer than Yuuri did.

"What happened to the hunter you have been talking about?" he asked. That was the first time Phichit mentioned some relationship with another witch hunter and naturally, Yuuri was curious about it.

"I might disappoint you, but I don´t know anything about him now; we lost contact long ago," said Phichit in a strange tone and Yuuri understood that this topic was already closed for him.

"You know, I might come up with something," said Phichit slowly after a while, lost in thoughts."It´s not permanent, but at this moment it´s the only thing we can do. I´ll use my enchantment magic and persuade someone once more about postponing their decision."

Yuuri´s eyes went wide.

"You ever tried this kind of thing?"

"No," said Phichit impatiently, "but I think it might work. We´ll see. Of course, the power of enchantment wouldn´t last long since they already gave up on him. Maybe we have several days or weeks. And in the meantime.. we´ll try to figure something out."

Yuuri had to admit that this was probably the only applicable solution.

\--

The next day Otabek found him in his office. Ignoring the others, he quickly went to Yuuri´s booth. Yuuri didn´t know what to expect and was honestly surprised by Otabek´s brief, but tight hug.

"Look, Yuuri, I don´t even remember yesterday much.. so I am sorry if I upset you or something. But you´ll never guess what happened. Jean´s dad called me, we kept in touch since I left Canada.. Apparently, his doctor refused to unplug him! They want to try some new examinations instead. He said he doesn´t understand it either but in the end, they all agreed. I know I mentioned JJ to you yesterday so I just wanted to let you know."

He went silent like he was unsure how to continue.

Yuuri, of course, knew all of this already since Phichit called him in the morning. Otabek´s face changed from yesterday; sure, he still looked like a mess, but there was again a glimpse of life in his eyes and he even attempted to smile a bit. It was shaky and small like he had just learned it, but Yuuri still cherished it. It was a really long time since he had seen Otabek happy, even if for a moment - and hated that both he and Phichit knew this couldn´t last long.

\--

"I think my magic had hit its limits," admitted Phichit after two weeks when Otabek was again getting grumpy and started to skip lunch.

He bent down and took Kyuubey in his hands. Together with Yuuri, they were slowly getting home after witch hunting. The night was approaching its end and he tried hard to suppress yawning.

"It´s been only two weeks.." he heard Phichit saying, lost in thoughts. "I honestly don´t know what more can we do for Otabek."

Yuuri imagined poor Otabek again crushed to pieces and had to clench his fists to stop trembling his hands.

"It´s horrible. I mean.. his own _family_?"

He lost his sister recently and now his friend was slowly slipping away from them. Could it get any worse?

"It´s pure torture. They don´t have the right to play with his life like this," Yuuri heard himself saying, not even sure if he was talking about Otabek or JJ. Phichit just caught his hand and squeezed it tight. They walked in silence for a bit and both were surprised when Kyuubey suddenly started talking in their heads.

_Actually, I went to take a look at this Otabek Altin. He still can´t see me, but I caught a glimpse of potential. It depends largely on his wish but he can become a valuable witch hunter in the future._

"I´m not even surprised," sighed Phichit. "Of course I knew you went to check on him. So he has potential after all."

There was again long silence and first rays of light tickled Yuuri in his eyes.

"Now what, Phichit?" he dared to ask. "Will you tell him about magic and everything?"

"I might have to. Look."

Otabek was waiting at them in front of Phichit´s flat.

"Good morning, turtledoves."

His voice sounded like shattered glass.

Yuuri waited in the bedroom until Phichit and Otabek were done talking. He could hear the muffled tones of both their voices rising up and down through the walls. He couldn´t accuse Otabek of not believing them on the first time. After all, they kept misleading him in the last weeks. Since the situation was no longer sustainable, Phichit decided to tell Otabek everything.

Yuuri knew that Phichit wanted to warn him before making the contract in a hurry and think more about his wish, but he wasn´t sure if it wasn´t too late already. When the doors finally opened, both of his friends looked fairly exhausted. Sun was already up and the hours reminded them of the outside world.

"What about work?" asked Yuuri and secretly hoped that Phichit could use his enchantment magic to persuade his boss for more vacation.

 _I refuse to do that_ , he already heard the reply in his head. If Yuuri had ever suspected Phichit from mind-reading, this was certainly it.

"Yuuri is right, we can´t take a day off forever," said Phichit and got up on his feet.

"We´ll meet today after work," said Otabek, demanding. "I need more.. information."

"Okay," yawned Phichit. "Let me just change my clothes."

\--

Otabek first witch hunt was an interesting experience for Yuuri. He remembered his first vividly, and now it felt like looking back in the mirror. Phichit was just as kind and patient as always and the battle ended quickly. In the end, Otabek was a little bit pale and sweat was glistening on his face, but overall he managed to keep himself together. Yuuri watched as the spark came back to Otabek´s eyes as he observed Phichit cutting the witch into pieces.

In a short time, Otabek wanted to go with them again and again and Phichit recognized him as a valuable help. Yuuri tried to help too, but he somehow missed the passion which seemed natural to Otabek.

Days passed and both Phichit and Yuuri noticed Otabek´s growing hunger for experiences. They decided to pause a little; Phichit was already tired from constant fighting and watching two civilians at once. Not to mention all of them couldn´t afford to skip work any longer. Therefore, Yuuri was quite surprised when he went to visit Otabek in his office and he was told that he took a vacation once more.

\--

When Yuuri came back from lunch, he was greeted by a small white envelope waiting for him on his work desk. It wasn´t signed and no name was written on the paper. He decided to open it and a small paper fell on the table. The letters were obviously written in a rush, but Yuuri recognized the handwriting. He quickly started to read.

_Yuuri,_

_I´m writing to you since Phichit would just again scold me about it. I´m flying to Canada. I´ve decided._

_Hope you understand. Thank you both._

_Оtабек._

And that was it. Yuuri flipped the paper on the other side but it was empty. There were no words about Otabek coming back and Yuuri knew immediately what it meant. Emotions were swirling in him, but he needed to know one more thing.

 _Kyuubey._ He asked in his mind. _Did Otabek make a contract with you?_

There was a moment of silence, interrupted only by a door slam somewhere in the hallway.

Finally, a single word came as an answer.

_Yes._


	5. I Am Not Afraid Anymore..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Phichuuri gets to its maximum but nothing more than a kiss happens (I´m writing it here in case someone is bothered by that). However, that scene is an important step in the story, so I recommend you not to skip it.

****After Otabek left, Yuuri realized he somehow completely moved to Phichit´s place. He hasn´t been in his flat for weeks and was now grateful that all his plants were fake and he didn´t purchase any pet. They didn´t speak about him much - they just hoped whatever Otabek was doing, he was happy and together with JJ.

Days passed and turned into a steady routine - work, most of the night witch hunting and then sleep. Yuuri got used to Phichit by his side as they spent most of the time together. Sometimes he woke up in the middle of the night as the other man climbed to his bed and hugged him tightly. Yuuri never asked and he didn´t mind. He just returned the hug, repositioned himself into a more comfortable position and again fell asleep. Both of them also spent a lot of time talking - sometimes out loud, sometimes only in their minds. They didn´t forget about Otabek, but as days turned into weeks they eventually stopped mentioning him ever coming back.

It was one of these days when they were lying in the double-bed they created joining both beds together on Yuuri´s suggestion. They were sleeping together most of the nights, anyway; and he liked Phichit´s soft and warm body embracing him. It was weekend and they were enjoying their precious free time by sleeping, eating in the bed or just lazily blooming in the apartment.

"Are you going on the cemetery again?" asked Phichit, hands behind his head and looking at the ceiling.

"Maybe. Want to come with?" answered Yuuri, lying next to him, their sides touching.

He entangled his hand and fingers with Phichit´s.

"I´m thinking.. if we go to the florist´s, the book store is right next to it.. I wanted to check out the new edition of this series I´m tracking. What flowers did you say again, were Mari´s favourite?"

"Gerberas. It´s hard to get them in this time of year, though.. do we still have some candles?"

"Probably yes," yawned Phichit, suppressing the fatigue.

"Okay, so we can do this.. and then.. lunch, maybe?"

"I´m in," smiled Phichit softly.

They should get out of bed but neither of them showed the intention to move. Yuuri could feel the heat of Phichit´s hand; it was soft, it was soothing, it was always there. With Phichit by his side, he almost forgot about his anxiety. After all those years they both knew exactly what the other one needed.

Yuuri´s mind came back to Otabek. After all, he missed him. It just wasn´t the same without him. Sometimes he found himself lost in thoughts, thinking about what type of magic does Otabek have; how he looks right now and what happened to JJ. To be completely honest, he was surprised Otabek didn´t leave them the day he was told about an option to cure JJ - but he knew he can´t talk about it this way with Phichit as it would surely hurt him.

"Why didn´t he say anything yet? I mean.. it´s been weeks now," asked Yuuri again, more for himself than to anyone else.

"I don´t know."

Phichit broke his train of thoughts and Yuuri felt his hand froze, but couldn´t help himself thinking out loud.

"He is a witch hunter now.. that means, he could say something telepathically if he wanted to. But no, not a word. Kyuubey said he didn´t contact him, either."

"I just hope he is _alive_ ," said Phichit, his voice trembling a little. "I remember my firsts huntings.. it was pretty bad."

Yuuri didn´t need to ask more. This time it was him squeezing Phichit´s hand.

"Sorry I made you upset. I didn´t mean to."

Phichit turned his head to him, nodded and smiled a little.

"Can we talk a little bit more?" asked Yuuri.

"Sure," smiled Phichit again. "We have a whole day for ourselves, after all."

\--

The sun was setting and they followed the pale golden light coming from Soul Gem. It was blinking steadily for a while and Phichit started to frown.

"Yuuri, this is strange. It´s like we are not getting closer at all. Yet, we have been walking for at least an hour, right?"

Yuuri nodded.

"Hmm.." Phichit stopped for a moment and just glared at the light.

 _Kyuubey._ He turned to the animal which was following them. _Can you sense any magical energy?_

_Right now?_

Kyuubey stopped too and lifted his head.

_I don´t sense anything._

_Okay, thanks anyway_.

Phichit sighed and turned in the opposite direction.

"This doesn´t happen often to me, but sometimes the searching can be longer than expected. I just hope we´ll get there in time."

He bit his lip and started to walk faster with Yuuri and Kyuubey following him.

After several hundred meters, Soul Gem started to shine brighter and Yuuri noticed a relief on Phichit´s face.

"Finally," he said.

"Let´s go."

They were now very close and Phichit already transformed. He gave one of his swords to Yuuri when suddenly Kyuubey jumped away.

_Someone is coming, Phichit._

The cat sat on the bench that was not quite near them, but they could still talk telepathically if needed. Phichit frowned and peered into the darkness around them. They were passing through the city park and except leaves rustling in the wind, nothing can be seen or heard. The light from Soul Gem was the only thing illuminating them. Finally, a shadow appeared in front of them and both Phichit and Yuuri turned around in surprise. The first thing they noticed was crystal blue light, blinking and glowing similarly like Phichit´s Soul Gem. Yuuri felt he had seen that color before.

_Victor..?_

Indeed, in a few moments, Victor stepped out of the shadows and leaned casually against the tree. His long hair was slowly waving behind him.

"You do realize that you endanger an innocent civilian, right?" he asked and didn´t even turn his head to them.

Yuuri noticed how Phichit´s look hardened as he postured defensively next to him. It was the first time Yuuri watched his best friend interact with another witch hunter and his stomach twitched nervously.

"He was chosen by Kyuubey. You can hardly call him 'innocent' by now."

Phichit´s tone was different than his usual merry voice and Yuuri could felt a hidden threat behind his words. Victor stopped leaning and got back on his feet. This time he looked directly at them. Just now Yuuri realized that that bright light was coming from Victor´s Soul Gem, standing on his palm. This was the second time he saw him transformed. He was still wearing that silver-grey coat he remembered from earlier but this time he didn´t notice any guns. Victor crossed his hands and glanced at Phichit.

"You are deliberately leading him into becoming a witch hunter and I can´t let that happen."

"You don´t say?" answered Phichit equally cold. "I don´t care about your reasons, Mr. _CEO_ ," he said with implication and pointed one of his swords at Victor. It surprised Yuuri that Victor actually stepped back a little.

"If possible, I would like to prevent fighting you," he declared.

"Then try harder not to get in my way again or I can promise you it won´t end up just by words."

Victor didn´t reply, just looked at Yuuri who again felt consumed by that sigh - but then blinked and the feeling was gone. The only thing that was left were two very sad eyes and then Victor vanished back in the dark.

"Well, that was fast," echoed next to him. Phichit put his sword back to the sheath and patted Yuuri on his shoulder. "Come, Yuuri, we must hurry."

Yuuri nodded absent-mindedly and followed him. They ran until they saw a gate that clearly marked the beginning of the maze.

 _Phichit,_ Yuuri called him telepathically to save his breath. _There´s something I need to tell you. You see, I.. don´t think that Victor really wanted to hurt you. He didn´t even have a gun._

 _You can´t say that for sure, Yuuri,_ replied Phichit back, without turning his head. _This city is my territory and I don´t intend to share._

 _Of course,_ said Yuuri quickly. _I just thought it would be kind of.. nice, if we all could get along._

They reached the gate and this time Phichit turned his head back to him and a sad smile appeared on his face.

_But that only works if everyone agrees._

With those words, he stepped into the labyrinth.

\--

Another week passed in no time. Phichit went off to buy something to eat; Yuuri was lying on the sofa and reading a book, but his mind was elsewhere. He started to notice that it exhausted Phichit to always keep an eye on him. He didn´t have another option since without his keen reflexes Yuuri would be in mortal danger. Phichit never dared to accuse him from anything, but Yuuri started to feel desperately useless. He tried before to talk about it with Phichit but it seemed pointless. Yuuri wanted to continue accompanying Phichit as he couldn´t stand the idea of leaving him alone again, yet he was painfully aware that in actual battle he would be just a nuisance. He clenched his fists, tossed away the book and hit the sofa.

_It´s always like this. No matter how I try, I can´t do anything.. I´m just a burden. I hate it! If only I wouldn´t be so afraid.._

Yes, Yuuri was afraid of wishing something. Of course, there were things he would like to have or do like any other human being.. but the fact that he could actually _die_ for them, made him rethink it over and over. In the end, he always came to the conclusion that it wasn´t worthy. From the little he could see during past months, it was obvious that being a witch hunter is not an easy task. Injuries and risk of death were Phichit´s daily bread. But Phichit was happy - in most times - and decided to make the best out of worst.

And Otabek? Had he used his wish to heal JJ? Was he happy now? And what about Victor? Yuuri didn´t know about him much. Just his name and his face. Moreover, he seemed to be determined not to let Yuuri form a contract what made him really uncomfortable. Why is he trying so much? What could possibly be his wish?

"I don´t know anymore!" he finally yelled in frustration.

_Are you thinking about your wish, Yuuri?_

A childish voice entered his head.

Kyuubey.

He totally forgot that he was in the apartment, too.

 _Mhm._ He nodded mentally.

 _You said that most people make a contract on spot, right?_ Yuuri asked him again.

 _Yes_ , testified Kyuubey.

_In that case, I think I´m just a happy idiot._

_What do you mean?_ Came the reply to him.

Kyuubey was watching him with his pink eyes that never moved.

_I mean... it´ not that uncommon to have a wish you would put your life for. Actually, I think there are lots of people with wishes or dreams like that. If I hadn´t come up with anything till now, it means nothing really bad had happened to me so far. Everything was given to me and I couldn´t even appreciate the value of it all.. So.. I started to wonder, why me? Why not someone else? It´s unfair, right? When you imagine other people would really want to be given this chance. I know they are._

There passed a moment of silence and Yuuri didn´t know what to say anymore. He didn´t know if Kyuubey would answer him and honestly, he didn´t care much. Yuuri doubted that there is a morally acceptable answer for all of this.

\--

As days shortened there wasn´t much they could do. Like in any other company before the end of the year, Yuuri felt like his boss became obsessed about assignments and deadlines. There was no more time for slumbering and Yuuri literally hypnotized his watch to move faster.

"I was thinking maybe I should quit my job after a New Year," he announced after one particularly exhausting day, sitting in Phichit´s flat and drinking beer after a long time.

Phichit stopped scratching label from his bottle and looked at him.

"Do you hate it that much?"

Yuuri sighed.

"It´s not that I hate it.. I just really really dislike it."

"That´s the same, no?" laughed Phichit. "What is the problem? Boss?"

"Not just him, he is pretty much idiot.. but the work itself is so _dull_. I can´t help myself but I never wanted to do something like this, but I needed money and.. you know the rest."

Phichit scratched his chin.

"Well, I´ll miss lunch with you," he said and really sounded a bit sad.

"Does Nikiforov have anything to do with this?" he asked after a minute.

Yuuri wanted to say _yes_ since he was fed up already with those silent crystal eyes pursuing him all day; but something still pulled him to the mysterious man and he knew that if he would leave, all of his questions will remain unanswered.

"I don´t know," he said finally.

Phichit just hummed.

"Let´s talk about something more fun," he said after a minute and turned to him with his brightest smile.

"It´s almost your birthday, Yuuri! What would you like for a gift?"

Yuuri almost choked with his beer.

_Really, his birthday.._

"I almost forgot," he admitted. "With all that is going on around me.. You know, Mari and Otabek and.." he stopped and had to take a deep breath.

Everything started coming back to him: he is again trapped in the maze, blue eyes are chasing him, Otabek is looking at him, his face empty and lifeless and _scary_..

 _Stop_ , he ordered himself mentally.

_Don´t let it get to you. You can do it, Yuuri. Just breathe it out.. and in.. out.. and in.._

In a minute, he opened up his eyes again. Yuuri looked around and saw that Phichit was looking back at him with the concerned look, but he didn´t say anything.

"I´m okay," Yuuri managed to come up with a shaky smile.

"We.. can make a small birthday party, if you want."

Phichit nodded happily.

"Come here," waved him Yuuri and waited till Phichit moved from the chair to the sofa; then pulled him into a bear hug.

"Maybe I am _not_ that okay as I think," he whispered him to the ear.

Phichit hugged him even more and Yuuri could easily lose himself in that raven hair, in that smooth skin with a sweet scent.

_Phichit is always there for me. What would I even do without him?_

"Phichit, I.." he panted where he realized how much has he been holding onto him. "I-I wanted to tell you.."

"It´s okay, Yuuri," said Phichit quietly while brushing his lips against his own. "I know."

They kissed, openly, greedily. With tongue. It was _so_ much different than their usual peck on the cheek or the lips. Yuuri melted into the kiss, he wanted to get lost within him and never again to open up his eyes. From Phichit he could sense desperation; he was kissing him as his life depended on it, like he never wanted to let him go. Yuuri returned his kiss with growing passion, laid Phichit on his back and moaned when he felt those hands, _Phichit´s_ hands, slipping under his t-shirt and trailing down his body. Yuuri felt the heat rising in his head; he broke the kiss and uncontrollably pulled up Phichit´s t-shirt. Dark skin popped up under him and just when he leaned down to lick it, he noticed _something_. Something he hasn´t noticed so far.

The ugly and dark-pink scar was trailing the curve of Phichit´s ribs and ended just a bit under his left nipple with a small hollow. A couple more centimeters and it would sure hit his heart. Yuuri froze with the sudden realization.

_So this is how it looks like when you escape from death in the last seconds._

"What´s up, Yuuri?"

Phichit noticed the change of atmosphere; he leaned onto his elbows and followed Yuuri gently tracing the scar with his index finger.

"When did this happen?" he asked and looked at Phichit.

"Long ago.." whispered Phichit and put a palm on the scar. It wasn´t even big enough to fully cover it.

"It was one of my earlier fights and I lacked experience.. this is how it ended."

He put his hand away, pulled out his legs from beneath Yuuri and again sat straight on the sofa. Yuuri kept looking at the hideous, irregular line vitiating otherwise soft, caramel skin and something broke within him. He didn´t want to see Phichit injured. He didn´t want to see him fight alone once more for everyone´s sake. He didn´t want to tremble all night if Phichit would end up with similar gruesome injury or something worse.

"Phichit.. I have decided," he said finally, finding those grey eyes.

"I´ve always been a nuisance to other people.. or at least that´s how I felt. Nothing really took my interest besides my family and closest friends.. but then you showed me that it can be different. That it _should_ be different. You opened up my eyes. I was given the opportunity to make a world a better place.. and intend to use it. I want to help you, Phichit, as a fellow witch hunter. That´s my only wish. I don´t want to see you fighting alone anymore. I want to stand by your side."

He finished his speech and took a deep breath after it; then again lifted his sight to Phichit and let their eyes find each other.

Phichit´s eyes became watery and before he could say anything, tears were running down his face. He grabbed Yuuri and pulled him into another tight hug and Yuuri could tell he was actually _trembling_.

"Yuuri," he breathed out after a minute, "I don´t even know what to say.. When I became a witch hunter, everything changed. I had lost my family, got hurt a lot.. I spent most nights crying alone in the pillow. Only God knows how I managed to survive it all. From the beginning till this day I always felt like caring a burden the whole time. I was afraid.. too afraid of death, too afraid of getting hurt, or getting _you_ hurt, afraid of letting you down..

But now, your kind words made me feel lighter than ever. It´s has been ages since I felt as good as right now. Yuuri.. thanks to you, I am not afraid anymore. With you, I am not feeling alone. Thank you. Thank you so much, oh, Yuuri," Phichit closed his eyes and leaned to Yuuri who could see his drenched cheeks. Soft lips have pressed on his own and now it was Yuuri´s turn to forget about the outside world.

\--

"So, let´s head to your last witch hunting as a regular human," grinned Phichit happily later that day. They have agreed that tomorrow would Yuuri make a contract and they would form an alliance. Phichit seemed to be extraordinary excited and already planned what kind of his moves he could teach Yuuri at first. Yuuri´s enthusiasm was kind of lagging behind Phichit´s, but he felt that he made a good decision. But still, he was _Yuuri Katsuki_ , which meant he was nervous after all.

"Okay, I got it," Phichit snapped his fingers while walking around abandoned train rails, Kyuubey at his heels.

"It will be that building," he showed to the half-broken kiosk in front of them. Phichit transformed his Soul Gem back to the ring, put it on and then transformed himself.

"Ah, I just hope it´ll be quick today. I could use some rest," he raised his arms, stretching the muscles.

"I thought you´ll be more relaxed after this afternoon," blurted out of Yuuri who immediately turned red.

"But it was all thanks to you," winked Phichit back and then reached his hand to Yuuri, while Kyuubey went ahead to the building. They slowly trailed the rails, the sun was almost setting and his last rays were reflecting on Phichit´s swords.

"Yuuri, tomorrow when Kyuubey asks you for your wish, what will you say to him?" suddenly asked Phichit, never let go of Yuuri´s hand and looking in front of them.

"What?" replied Yuuri back, slightly confused. He had already told Phichit his wish, so why is he asking again?

"Sorry, I befuddled you," smiled Phichit. "What I meant was, if you say simply to help me, you gain nothing of it. Have you thought about it this way?"

"No," answered Yuuri, slightly ashamed. Personal gain was never in his interests.

"Oh, come on. This is not about modesty or greed. As you said, you were given the opportunity, so you can it at least use it for something _you_ want. It´s a contract, after all, so you can get something out of it as well."

Yuuri had to admit Phichit was right.

"I guess you have a point," he mumbled eventually.

"So? What will be it? New car? You´ll make yourself a millionaire? Or perhaps.. some boyfriend?"

Yuuri turned even redder for a second, but laughed and slightly pushed him with his shoulder.

"Phichit, stop talking such nonsense."

"Why? You can wish for anything!" Phichit kept teasing him as they were approaching the kiosk.

"How about this?" he asked before entering and turned to Yuuri, still holding his hand. "If you can´t come with anything till tomorrow, you can make Kyuubey bake you a birthday cake and maybe get him stuff into some silly costume!"

Yuuri couldn´t believe his ears. "I should become a witch hunter for a _cake_?"

"Well, why not? If you don´t like it, then think about something else by yourself!" Phichit still laughed as he entered the building through the hole in the wall instead of doors which were probably long gone.

Yuuri couldn´t get mad at him, because it was _Phichit_ ; so he just followed him to the dark. They were welcomed by a silhouette illuminated by a crystal blue light.

\--

There was a moment of silence and Yuuri sight was nervously jumping between Phichit and Victor. This was their second encounter which he witnessed and the last one was bad enough already. Yuuri noticed Kyuubey jumping from nowhere behind his legs.

"Vi-," he started to speak but Phichit put him in silence in a gesture.

"I remember clearly telling you that I don´t want to see your face again." His words could cut glass and Yuuri gulped down.

Victor´s face kept expressionless to the open thread.

"Leave this witch to me," he said plainly, his eyes flashed at Yuuri and again back to Phichit.

"Why should I?" asked Phichit cold and stabbed one sword to the ground. "You run out of Grief Seeds? Well, too bad - go find your own prey."

"I was here _first_ ," noted Victor. "But it´s not about that. This witch is at least one rank higher than the others. I know it and don´t tell me you didn´t notice it. I can also see you´re not in the best condition for fighting."

Phichit almost growled in anger.

"What can you possibly know about me? Mind your own business. We´re not going anywhere. This night.. let´s say is _special_."

Phichit turned around and gave Yuuri a reassuring look. Yuuri slightly nodded. _I´m okay_ , he tried to say silently.

"Both of you withdraw." Victor was relentless and unlaced his coat so Yuuri could see something that was without a doubt a gun resting behind his belt.

"I didn´t come here today unprepared," he said with quiet tone and his eyes were gleaming intensively in the uprising darkness.

Phichit snorted.

"You think I did?"

Without further talking he swiftly unbound his sash, copied and enlarged it and suddenly, Victor was tied in front of Yuuri´s eyes who gasped in surprise.

"Y-you i-idiot.." panted Victor and squirmed to free himself but Phichit waved his hand and the sash constricted even more until he yelped for air.

"Phichit!" rushed Yuuri to him and made him put his hand down. "That´s enough. Let´s just go and get over with it."

Phichit looked one more time on the tall figure gasping under his extended sash and then turned around, ready to proceed further into the building.

"W-wait..," Victor managed to say, face red from exertion. Phichit sighed.

"Look, if you keep pissing me off I´ll leave you here. On the other hand, if you behave.. maybe I´ll free you on the way out."

With those words, he turned on his heel and dragged Yuuri with him. Yuuri managed to look back on Victor who was still fighting with the fabric without any effort.

 _I am sorry_ , he tried to tell Victor telepathically and just hoped he would receive it.

\--

They found the labyrinth quickly and stepped into it.

 _Okay, Yuuri. You´ve seen it a few times already, so what do we do next?_ asked Phichit with pretended serious 'i-am-the teacher-here' tone.

_Phichit, stop it. You said always pay attention in the labyrinth, remember?_

_As you say, my apprentice.._

_Phichit!_

Some noise broke their mind-to-mind conversation and Phichit halted his hand.

 _Familiars, already?_ He frowned and then turned to Kyuubey.

 _It would be better not to fight them and just find another route to the middle of the labyrinth,_ said the animal.

Yuuri watched Phichit nod.

 _I think the same. Come, Yuuri, let´s just try that door_ , he gestured in front of them.

The maze consisted of several tunnels which always begun and ended with the doors, and that made them almost indistinguishable from each other. Luckily, Phichit came up with an idea of mark each door they had already tried with a sword. Still, it took them much more time than usual to find the maze´s core. Phichit was already sweating on his forehead and moreover, there were still no signs of a victim.

 _Phichit_ , tried Yuuri. _You think.. well.. you think that Victor was right?_

Phichit sighed and stopped for a moment.

_Look, Yuuri. I know you and I probably judge him differently, but I would never purposely put you in danger just to prove something._

Yuuri´s cheeks went red with both embarrassment and pride.

_Phichit, I would never think such a thing! I am just asking because this place.. seems odd even to me._

_It´s just the hot, I think. It prevents us from thinking rationally. We came back to the same door, huh..,_ replied Phichit with a hint of frustration in his tone.

 _The traces of magical energy are very small. I think this witch is just yet to be born,_ meddled Kyuubey.

Phichit´s eyes went wide.

_If that´s the case.. it doesn´t happen very often, so no wonder we were confused._

_What does that mean, Phichit?_ asked Yuuri a bit nervously. Phichit squeezed his hand.

_That means we don´t have to hurry. The maze is big, but if the witch is not born yet, we can keep searching at our own speed._

It was actually one of the most peaceful witch searching up to now, as far as Yuuri could concern. They spend hours of looking, talking, even laughing, although not out loud. But of course, that couldn´t last forever and there came a point when the tiredness reached its peak and the heat was almost unbearable. Only then, Soul Gem started to shine brightly and gave them at least some direction.

"We found it, at last.." panted Phichit heavily and wept away the sweat from his forehead.

"Phichit, are you okay?" asked Yuuri quietly and gave him concerning look.

"Of course," smiled the other man. "I can´t look bad in front of my future partner, can I?"

Yuuri felt relieved. If Phichit still managed to joke, perhaps he is just a little bit tired.

"Don´t push yourself," he whispered back and the memory of that ugly scar again popped up in front of his eyes.

Phichit nodded and then carefully opened up the door in front of them. They walked through several other tunnels. Kyuubey warned them that the witch was already born, so they proceed with the highest attention to any redundant magic or noises. Finally, the last door appeared. They were larger compared to the previous ones and pulsed with a faint light, revealing complex ornaments in the background. Phichit looked at Yuuri and together they slowly entered whatever was waiting in front of them.

At first, he noticed a bunch of familiars jumping at them with tremendous speed. Yuuri yelped, but Phichit pushed him aside and started cutting them to pieces one by one. In a few seconds, the path was clear and they could continue. After a few meters they ended up again in tremendously big open space and Yuuri stepped into something half-liquid, half-solid of the color which name was unknown to him. He shook with disgust.

"Ah, I can already see the witch," Phichit took his attention, shrouded and pointed his finger in front of them. Yuuri followed its direction and really, he spotted a witch in the distance. It seemed to be sitting on some kind of stool with incredible high shears.

"It´s so.. small," he breathed out. Usually, Phichit fought much bigger creatures.

"It´s unique, I agree.. well, let´s get this over with. You will wait here as always, okay, Yuuri?"

Yuuri nodded like tens times before and found himself a safe space, not to be spotted by familiars who could still occur in the maze. Phichit gave him one final wink and then made a huge jump right into the middle of the space. The witch has noticed him and gave out a squeal but didn´t move from the stool. Phichit transformed one sash into an enlarged sword and cut off the shears which forced the witch to jump to another place with Phichit behind its back. For such a small creature it was pretty fast and Yuuri just watched two silhouettes chasing each other for a while. Finally, Phichit managed to stab the witch to the wall with a giant sword. Witch squealed again, shook itself a few times and then languished slowly against the sword buried deep within its body.

Yuuri almost jumped from his hideout with joy.

_Phichit, you made it!_

Phichit turned around to him, gave him a warm smile and pull out another sword for his final attack. Yuuri barely managed to stay on his place waiting for the labyrinth to fall apart.

 _From tomorrow.. I won´t be crawling somewhere out of sight anymore. I will be out there, looking that hideous creature in the eyes_.

He felt epinephrine pumping to his blood and wanted to call out to Phichit to finally end it, so they could go home.

Suddenly something took his attention. The witch slowly started moving again and squirmed itself under the sword as it desperately wanted to escape. In a matter of seconds, witch´s mouth opened wide and _another_ witch has risen from it, enlarging rapidly. Yuuri felt his stomach twitch painfully.

"Phi-," he started to call out, but the situation escalated rapidly - the heaviness of the witch outweighed itself down to the ground and it appeared right in front of surprised Phichit. Yuuri could only notice its giant head as the witch opened up its mouth and stabbed its colossal teeth to the soft flesh of Phichit´s neck. The body shook itself a couple of times in the air, the last flash of golden blinked faintly and Phichit´s witch hunter clothes, swords, _everything_ \- had disappeared.

Yuuri´s world had broken apart.

\--

_This can´t be happening._

Yuuri looked in the horror to the scene unraveling in front of him. Nothing could be heard; it was as if someone put mute on the television. The motions were delayed and his heart stopped beating. Some part of his brain was still focused on the witch shoaling on the ground but the rest seemed covered in a blur. His tongue was sticking to his palate and he couldn´t bring himself to say Phichit´s name. If he would, it would mean all of this had happened for real and Phichit was.. he was..

 _..-ri! Yuuri! Yuuri!_ some relentless voice was forcing his way to his skull. He had a vague feeling he _knew_ that voice. Slowly, his eyes fell on the small white silhouette standing in front of him.

_Kyuubey..?_

Although the animal´s face never changed he could hear in the voice tone that _something_ was happening.

 _Yuuri!_ echoed in his mind, loud and clear and he winced.

_Wish for something and I will make you a witch hunter! Right now! That is your only chance to survive!_

Yuuri forced himself to transfer his sight to the place of tragedy and recognized the blurry contours of that hideous creature still moving at the background.

_Yuuri? Are you listening? Do you understand? Decide on a wish!_

Kyuubey kept running, trying to steal his attention. Like half-asleep, Yuuri let himself surrender to that voice.

_Wish? What wish?_

_Wish for anything, but quick! It´s starting to move towards us!_

_Anything..?_

Yuuri opened up his eyes and mouth, ready to say something, anything. It didn´t matter at this point, anyway.

"I,-", he started.

"That won´t be necessary," he was interrupted by another voice.

Victor appeared in front of him, his long hair waving behind.

Yuuri watched as another silhouette entered the scene, jumping from stool to stool, vanishing and again appearing. The picture in front of him was blurry, he recognized only bigger and smaller being dancing one around another until he was surprised by a giant explosion and the witch disappeared. Yuuri yelled as the sharp light stung him into the eyes. Barely managing to stay conscious, he leaned onto his palms and lifted his head. Victor already detransformed and was approaching him.

_Victor..?_

Victor ran the last couple of meters and tried to help him on his feet. Yuuri´s body was numb and he was feeling like a puppet in Victor´s hands. Finally, he stood straight again.

"Yuuri, I am glad you are safe!" he hugged him brief, but tight.

Yuuri gasped from surprise. The other man was bigger than him and _warm_.

"Your friend, however.." Victor´s voice went silent and his look traced back to one certain spot.

_Friend? My friend? Does he mean.. Phichit?_

Yuuri´s eyes followed Victor´s sigh and stopped on something that looked like dust mixed with blood, slowly spilling from a puddle in smaller streams in all directions. And on the top of all that mess, were laying black egg-sized Grief Seed and one sleeve torn off from Phichit´s beloved red t-shirt. The very same one Yuuri had touched earlier today.

He couldn´t stop looking. He couldn´t turn his head away. His eyes began to water; the lump in his throat grew impossibly big. He almost yelped when Victor interrupted his silence.

"This is what I wanted to warn you before. Watch and watch closely - on the ultimate fate of all those who had become witch hunters."

And Yuuri watched, carved the picture into his memory until his lips finally parted away to say a single word:

"Phichit.."

He felt on the ground, despite Victor´s effort to keep him straight. His own body had betrayed him and his mind went blank.

_Why..?_

\--

He woke up in his apartment. Slowly, opened up his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He immediately recognized something was _wrong_.

_What am I doing here?_

Yuuri didn´t use his bed for months and dust kept tickling him into his nose. He scratched it and slowly sat on the sheets, frowning against the sun stinging him in the eyes. Yuuri mumbled something, put on his glasses from the nightstand and while still there, grabbed the alarm clock. It was almost noon!

_I must go to work!_

Yuuri quickly grasped the blanket and put it aside. He looked in surprise that he was fully dressed in his t-shirt and trousers. There seemed to be some dust on them and he reflexively brushed it off. The contact of his skin and the soft powder unlock something in his mind and a certain picture popped up in front of his eyes. Picture of dust and blood and one very red sleeve.

"No," he gasped when he realized _whose_ sleeve it was. "No," he gasped one more time, louder, when everything started coming back to him. He put his head to his palms and shut his eyes firmly, but it was useless; pictures were running in front of his eyes like in an old movie. He saw Phichit, his _beloved_ Phichit, running into the labyrinth, holding his hand, he could almost feel it; the warmth, the way his smaller hand fit so good to his own, the way he smiled at him one last time.. _before his head was bitten off his body_.

"NOOOO!!!" he started to scream while throwing an alarm clock to the wall and falling helplessly back to the sheets.

\--

It took him very, very long time to get off that bed again. If it weren´t for his body´s physical needs, he would probably stay there forever. He stumbled to the bathroom and refused to look in the mirror. He felt like shit and that´s probably also how he looked like. He purposely didn´t check the date or time on his phone; it didn´t matter to him. Nothing did matter to him anymore.

They were days when he just spent curled under the blanket, crying for hours, until his eyes became swollen and his voice went lost. He regretted everything he couldn´t tell; everything that could happen but didn´t in the end. He couldn´t even _think_ about Phichit without bursting in tears again.

And there were also days when he woke up light, light as a feather and felt like he had finally left his poor, wrecked body behind. He turned to Phichit, wanted to tell him how fantastic it is - but then he remembered and woke up crying and yelling and begging the heavens to stop it already.

He wasn´t surprised when Kyuubey came. He walked to the room and stepped next to Yuuri´s bed. Yuuri heard his paws tapping on the floor and looked at him, eyes red. Both of them kept silent for several minutes until Yuuri slowly shook his head. Kyuubey watched him for another minute, and then bowed his head, turned around and left. Yuuri closed his eyes and felt a tear slipped from beneath his lid.

 _I guess.. that´s a farewell_.

With trembling lips and tears yet again pushing from his eyes, he decided to call his parents.

Yuuri spent the next couple of days in his old room in Yutopia. Not that it was particularly helpful. Since he was off for _days_ , both mom and dad were worried sick and gladly accepted him under their roof. But the grief after Mari was almost tangible in the air and kept painfully reminding Yuuri his most recent loss. No amount of food, however tasty, could beat it. When he decided to leave, his mother hugged him one last time and asked him to take care of himself. Yuuri nodded, returned the hug, kissed her on the cheek and while returning to his flat, instead of going forward turned to the left. There was something he felt obligated to do.

It took him less than ten seconds to find Phichit´s spare key to his apartment in his pocket; but much, _much_ longer to find the courage and open that door. After people on the street started looking at him - Yuuri knew it had to look suspiciously, just standing in front of stranger´s door and looking at it - he took a deep breath and slowly twisted the key in the lock.

Phichit´s flat looked just like the night they left it. Everything was achingly familiar; sofa in the living room was inviting him, on the desk still stood beer bottles and glasses, one even half-full. Yuuri stepped to them and felt his lips twitch in a slight smile; then took the bottles to the trash and glasses to the sink. They started to stink a bit already, so he washed them and put them on plate basket with their bottom up. He watered the plants and opened the windows to get in some fresh air. Then he slowly walked to the bedroom and looked at their joined beds. Yuuri sat on his side and gently caressed the blanket on the other bed.

"I´m back, Phichit," he whispered in the silence.

Yuuri couldn´t bid farewell to Phichit´s flat, not immediately. He spent here most of the last months, after all, and really felt like at _home_. So he decided to spend some time here as well - sometimes talking to Phichit or to himself and found it oddly relaxing to him, sometimes just lying on the bed and breathing the familiar scent and sometimes doing nothing, just breathing out and in and letting his mind to search for the peace he was longing after.

It was one of these days when he sat on the sofa, curled up to the blanket with tea and absent-mindedly looking through the window on the snowstorm, when Otabek came to his mind.

_Otabek._

He hadn´t seen him for months now, yet.. Yuuri wondered if he even knew about Phichit´s demise. With Kyuubey gone, he wasn´t even sure if the telepathy would be still working between them.

 _Kyuubey..?_ he tried within his head.

Nothing came back as an answer, but Yuuri decided it was still worth a try. Otabek had to know - Phichit was his friend too and Yuuri felt that if he were Otabek, he would want to know. It was the right thing to do. He inhaled deeply and gave it a try.

 _Otabek..? Otabek, can you.. do you hear me?_ He tried to call him. Despite the stillness around him, he continued.

_I am sorry for letting you know just now, but Phichit.. well.. Phichit is gone, Otabek. It´s been some time now and.. ugh, I just thought I´ll let you know.. Otabek? Can you hear me? Can you..?_

His voice went into silence, aware, that if the connection would be successful Otabek would probably answer by now. He would, but Yuuri heard nothing. He tried one more time, but it was worthless. He let his head fell back and gazed to the ceiling till he felt the blood rushing in his veins and his neck started to ache.

Yuuri was well aware of the fact that he couldn´t stay in Phichit´s flat forever. He was not sure if the apartment belonged to Phichit or it was rented, but either way, it would be impossible. It was nice-furnished and cozy, but Yuuri would still feel the ghosts of the past within it. One day he woke up, opened the eyes slowly and felt that this is the last day he would spend in this apartment. Something inside him just told him that the time has come.

As the evening came by, step by step, he gathered the little that belonged to him, watered the plants once more and mentally said goodbye to the rooms thinking about all the things that had happened in them, about all the memories that were born in there. The sun was softly illuminating the silent space and furniture cast large shadows. Yuuri stepped in the door, looked through his shoulder one last time and then walked out and locked behind him, determined not to look back.

He kept walking until he came to the river floating through the city. Yuuri had been thinking about it for some time now and finally came to a conclusion. He slowly stepped on the bridge and kept looking into the dark water rushing beneath him. When he reached out to his pocket and took out keys to Phichit´s apartment, he noticed his fingers were trembling. Yuuri tried hard to calm them, but it wasn´t an easy task.

_Come on, Yuuri!_

He was angry at himself. How many times he had imagined it, holding the keys above water and then let them go?

_I have to do it, otherwise I´ll be tempted every time I´ll go by that flat. I´ll always want to look inside and see, if.._

He couldn´t finish the thought.

Instead, he ordered himself to stretch his hand forward, above the water, the keys held in his gripped fist. He again felt the blood rushing in his ears; he wanted to _let go_ of it already, but couldn´t, it was the only thing that kept him connected to Phichit, the only thing that proved that Phichit was once alive, breathing person like everyone else. How could he even _think_ he was ready for this? He clearly wasn´t.

Sharp metal kept carving into his fingers when suddenly, somebody passing by hit Yuuri´s shoulder incidentally. Yuri yelped from surprise, looked over, loosened his fist and the keys dropped in the water and were gone in the blink of an eye.

"N-no," breathed out Yuuri the second he felt his hand emptied, leaned over the guard and reflexively stretched down.

"No, Phichit, NO," he kept reaching to the darkness for already lost keys and would probably jump straight after it if it weren´t the strong grip on the shoulder.

"That´s enough, Yuuri," came the sad, yet gently tone from somewhere from his left side. Half-blind with tears, he looked around to that voice. Victor was standing next to him, pulling him back to his feet and his eyes glistening impossibly blue and clear. The sun was just setting and his silhouette was bathing in soft, golden light. Yuuri hadn´t seen him from _that_ night and now everything started coming back to him.

"Victor," he managed to say when his lips started to tremble. He hated it; he had been fed up with tears already. But it was so, _so_ hard to admit it, even for himself. Phichit was _gone_ and he would never come back. _Ever_.

Yuuri again felt his eyes becoming watery and managed to wipe it off with the sleeve. He was just about to ask Victor about his whereabouts here when the tall man started talking first.

"I know you are blaming yourself, Yuuri," he said.

Yuuri winced. It was something he didn´t even tell his parents but it was true. Ever since that night, he was thinking about what he could do better. He was so determined to become a witch hunter, yet when it was really needed he just kept watching and did nothing. Victor rescued him and probably carried him to his flat when Yuuri fainted. _That_ was the reality, so why _shouldn´t_ he blame himself? If he weren´t such a coward, Phichit could live! Yuuri reflexively gripped his fists again and forbade himself from crying. Not in front of Victor, not on the street with strangers all around him. He wanted to say something, at least, but Victor again went ahead.

"Why don´t we go for a walk?" he asked and Yuuri couldn´t say no. There was too much unspoken between them.

\--

Victor led him to the park, eventually. It was past beyond sunset and the area seemed empty. Yuuri saw a couple of benches here and there, but it seemed Victor would just go on without stopping. But he was walking pretty slowly, slow enough to talk in peace. As always, he kept quiet until Yuuri had to open up his mouth.

"Victor.. I´ve been thinking about this for a while.. when Phichit.. uhm.. is not here anymore, what will happen to this city? Who will protect it before witches and so?"

Victor kept still for a while, and then slowly replied. "Well, since you´re asking, Yuuri.. Territories of individual witch hunters are pretty strict. When something like this happens, it usually spreads quickly and witch hunters from closest cities or areas will come here looking for witches. Somebody will take over the city soon, so civilians will be safe again."

Yuuri didn´t ask more. It was evident that Victor didn´t mean to step in for Phichit. But _why_ was he here then?

"It seems to me that you took my advice, after all," Victor suddenly changed the subject. Yuuri felt startled for a moment but then he realized Victor was right. He definitely wasn´t thinking about becoming a witch hunter after.. well, after everything he had been through.

"Mhm," he nodded. "If only I had listened to you sooner."

"That still wouldn´t have changed Phichit Chulanont´s fate," sighed Victor as if it was obvious. Yuuri winced again. The way Victor pronounced Phichit´s name seemed so strange to him. He listened to Victor and understood his point, but Yuuri couldn´t help thinking otherwise. Phichit was so _strong_ , so _experienced_. He had been doing this for _years_. And yet..

"What.. what actually happened that night?" Yuuri heard himself saying and immediately regretted asking about it, but Victor replied with an unchanged voice.

"It was a decoy."

"Decoy," repeated Yuuri, still not fully understanding the meaning of these words.

"Yes," said Victor again. "That small one - that wasn´t a witch or familiar. It was purely a decoy, designed to hide the _true_ witch inside of it. Only witches of very high rank are capable of such nasty tricks. I tried to explain it to him, but.." Victor sighed.

Yuuri understood now. Phichit was always such an airhead and not even his years of experience couldn´t help him this time. Witch hunting was always a lottery. You either win or lose. Nobody could keep winning forever. Not even Phichit.

Yuuri sighed, too; it wasn´t nearly the exact description of his feelings, but he was tired already. He kept thinking for a couple more minutes and then declared.

"Victor, you too, seem like a veteran to me.. although in a probably different way as Phichit was."

"Hmm.." responded Victor. "You could say that, yes. Veteran or not.. success is such an ephemeral thing. Right now I am just happy I was able to save at least one person." He wasn´t looking directly at him but Yuuri knew he was talking about him. He didn´t _feel_ saved. He would switch place with Phichit any second now. Yuuri wondered if Victor also had some special person to him. Was that the reason he always seemed so unapproachable?

"Have you seen a lot of people die?" fell off his lips before Yuuri could stop himself. _Why_ was he even asking such personal things out loud?

But Victor answered only "Yes" as if it meant nothing. He didn´t even stop himself from walking. Yuuri winced.

"How many?" he breathed out.

Victor turned to him with a brittle smile, if it could be named 'smile' at least.

"I stopped counting it.. long ago."

Yuuri´s hand flew to his mouth. Victor was talking about these things with such calm, almost as if he resigned already. Resigned on hope, on life, on everything. He thought back to the Phichit. Phichit, whose joy and cheerfulness were almost catchy. How much else could these two differ from each other?

Victor turned left since they already approached the end of the alley and kept walking steadily. Yuuri followed him with eyes darted in the ground and heavy questions on his mind.

"He-," started Yuuri, throat dry. "He won´t even get a funeral?"

"It can´t be helped. He was the only one left from his family, he lived and also worked alone. It will take a very long time before somebody will notice he´s not here anymore. You see, Yuuri.. when you die on the other side, there is no body left. It disappears together with the labyrinth. For this world, he would be deemed missing forever. That´s how it ends.. the life of a witch hunter."

Yuuri stopped. He couldn´t hear it anymore. Victor spoke as he _knew_ Phichit, but in reality, he hadn´t. Victor presented it as nobody cared, as nobody cared about Phichit being gone. It was unbearable.

"Stop.. already," he said through gritted teeth, voice trembling with anger and sadness.

Yuuri again felt his cheeks drenched with tears. He started sobbing and didn´t care; it was just too much. He barely noticed Victor turning over and looking at him with those piercing eyes of him.

"Phichit.. Phichit fought alone for _years_ to protect this city and everyone within it! He never told anybody because he fucking _couldn´t_! And instead.. instead of gratitude, what does he gets after his death? Nothing. Literally NOTHING! Nobody even realizes what he has done for them! Nobody.."

Yuuri´s fists hit the air and his frustration grew evenly bigger with the ache in his chest when he realized that Victor was fucking _right_ , that _this_ is what Victor wanted to tell him.

Victor waited patiently for Yuuri to cry out. When he somehow calmed himself, he sighed and said.

"Now you see it too. This is the true essence of the contract we have made for obtaining this power. It´s for you and you only. You just keep fighting for yourself, for fulfilling your wish. Even if no one else notices, even if you are forgotten by everyone. That´s just how it is."

Yuuri finally lifted his eyes from the ground.

"I´ll.. remember," he said quietly, but firmly.

Victor looked startled for a bit but Yuuri didn´t pay attention to him.

"I won´t forget Phichit. Even if I die, _I will remember him_."

Victor´s look was indecipherable as he turned away and showed him his back.

"He was lucky to have someone like you," came from him after a minute."I´m a little jealous, to admit that."

Yuuri wiped away the tear impatiently.

"I won´t forget you too, Victor," he said with a softer tone and honestly meant it.

"I won´t forget how you rescued me from that labyrinth. You saved my life. I´m sorry I haven´t thanked you properly before."

Victor didn´t reply and Yuuri felt there isn´t much more left to say. But Victor had spoken again.

"Don´t let it get the better of you, Yuuri. No one can criticize you for _living_."

Yuuri opened up his mouth but Victor, as always, was already gone.

\--

After that, things had settled down _almost_ at normal. It was still tough not to surrender to all that grief Phichit´s death had brought him but Yuuri couldn´t mourn forever. After New Year, he finally decided to take a look after a new job. He was just on his way back from the cafeteria and hoped they would give him that waiter´s place he was applying for when he spotted someone in front of his apartment. Yuuri frowned - he wasn´t awaiting anybody. He speeded up and from the near distance, he called at the stranger and waved his hand.

"May I help you?" The man turned over and Yuuri froze in his movement.

It was Otabek.

Except he didn´t look like him at all.

He was short as always but much thinner than Yuuri remembered. This Otabek was also growing a small beard now and looked older; Yuuri noticed a couple of silver hair here and there, despite he was one year younger than him. Otabek also noticed him and his eyes quickly locked onto him.

"Yuuri!" he almost jumped to him and Yuuri could see it _was_ really Otabek, but was still shocked. After all this time..

"Yuuri, what´s going on? I´ve been to work, nobody has seen you two in _months_ ; Nikiforov is abroad, I went to Phichit´s place, but no one is there; his phone is dead, you don´t answer.."

Yuuri realized just now he had left his phone at home. But that wasn´t the only thing he realized. From the way Otabek talked to him, he clearly _didn´t_ know. Yuri cleared his throat and prepared for the worst.

"Otabek.." he started, but his throat felt dry and lips frozen. He wet them with his tongue a little bit and try again. The confusion in Otabek´s eyes mirrored his own. "Otabek, Phichit.. Phichit is gone." He couldn´t say more, just watched the color from the other man´s face drain away.

Finally, Otabek said something too. "Yuuri, fuck.. And here I thought I´m coming with the bad news."

Now Yuuri felt like he was about to faint. What could be _possibly_ worse than everything he survived in the last couple of weeks?

"I screwed it up, Yuuri," whispered Otabek, almost timid. "Jean doesn´t want to have anything with me. In fact, he doesn´t remember me _at all_."

\--

(later, that same evening)

 _Who would have thought that from all possible people, **you** came_, said Kyuubey, sitting at the grass and licking his pawns.

"Well, it can´t be helped, since poor Phich kicked the bucket. I can´t believe I´ve heard it just now."

Kyuubey didn´t answer. He just stretched himself and looked up to the shadow.

_If territory is all you care about, you might be too late. There are already two other witch hunters in this area._

"Are you _fucking_ kidding me?" came a growl from the shadow. "That doesn´t sound _at all_ like what you told me last time."

 _Sometimes, things happen just too quickly_ , replied Kyuubey mysteriously and continued. _One of them shouldn´t stand in your way, he is rather peculiar. It´s probably one of that rare irregularities. Even I can´t predict his future behavior. The other one, however.. he was Phichit´s friend. That could be a problem but he came just yesterday. You are here all week already. That gives you an advantage._

"Newbie, huh?" chuckle came from the dark. "Well, I don´t think that I´d like to let him take over this city. I mean - just look at the view from up here! It´s fucking cool, don´t you think?"

Kyuubey was spinning his tail for a while.

_What do you plan to do?_

"Isn´t it obvious? I just need to beat him up until he would literally beg me to make this city mine. That could work, right?" laughter came from the dark and two emerald eyes glinted in the shadow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have already written the prequel story about Yuri and Phichit meeting (based on PMMM: The Different Story), you can read it here if you are interested: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13203708


	6. This Is Not How It Was Supposed to Be

****Yuuri and Otabek decided to talk rather inside than on the sidewalk, surrounded by strangers.

"Just sit, wherever you want," invited Yuuri Otabek and waved his hand nervously through the small apartment.

He was still unsure about Otabek being back - but he had to admit that it was nice to meet an old friend. Yuuri was so alone these past months that it felt almost _unreal_ to talk with someone, who was not only alive but also _understood_ how he felt.

They kept sitting for a while and Yuuri offered him something to drink, but Otabek just shook his head, buried in thoughts.

"So," started Yuuri carefully, "what happened in Canada?" Otabek´s previous declaration didn´t make much sense to him.

"Sure, sure.. we´ll get to that," replied Otabek absent-mindedly. "But now.. poor Phichit, even in my dreams I wouldn´t think, that.." his voice went silent.

Of course, Otabek didn´t tell him at once. First, he made Yuuri tell him everything about Phichit´s unfortunate demise. Yuuri really, _really_ didn´t want to return to it, but he somehow felt morally obligated to tell Otabek. After all, _Yuuri_ was the one able to stay with Phichit till the very end. So he tried, and tried hard; and although his sentences were short and cut-off and once or twice he almost burst in tears, it seemed that Otabek got the point. After Yuuri finished, he went to get the only bottle of alcohol in the house and had to drink something; Otabek didn´t hesitate and joined him.

Now they were sitting in silence, both lost in their thoughts until Otabek took a deep breath and finally started talking about his life. Yuuri was curious, of course, but one part of him still felt certain.. _embitterment_ towards Otabek. Maybe if he and Phichit fought that witch together, everything would be different.

As if Otabek could hear him, he put the half-drunk bottle on the table and looked at Yuuri with a guilty look.

"Do you realize, how I´m feeling now? I ran away; leaving you two here and this is how it ended. Yuuri, I´m _so_ , so sorry. If I haven´t.." he left it unspoken.

"Anyway," he continued after a while. "I think Phichit knew it all along. That I would leave someday. I just wish.. well, I shouldn´t vanish like that. It should be different. Everything should be different." He took a sip and continued.

"I became a witch hunter on the morning of the day I´ve left. I spend a whole night thinking about it and finally, at the dawn, I´ve decided."

"How was it? I mean.. forming a contract?" asked Yuuri when he realized he never asked Phichit to tell him about it.

Otabek looked surprised for a second.

"Hm? Well, I don´t remember every detail, since it happened really fast.. but I´ve told Kyuubey my wish and then felt a sudden pain, here in the chest-" he showed to himself, "and next thing I know I already saw my Soul Gem."

He looked at his ring and transformed him into the crystal. Its appearance was similar to Phichit´s and also Victor´s. The color was different, though; it wasn´t soft golden or crystal blue, but dark brown similar to Otabek´s eyes and hair. In flash of brownish light, Soul Gem transformed back to the ring and Otabek slipped it to his finger.

"Anyway.. you probably know by now that I wished for Jean to heal himself. It turned out I should have thought a little more about it. You see, by the time I finally got to the hospital, he was still there.. but it turned out he doesn´t remember me at all. Don´t get me wrong, he was absolutely healthy like he hadn´t suffered _any_ injury in his entire life but.. he had completely lost the last three years of his life."

Otabek kept silent for a while.

"I didn´t get it at first, of course. I thought it was some kind of sick joke. He did remember his parents and sister, so why not also me? Then I have talked to his doctor and it turned out that due to his head injuries he had probably lost some of his recent memories. So, he does remember his childhood and school and so on, but the last years.. nothing.

Well, it was certainly something nobody has counted with. Of course, his family was shocked but relieved to see him back. It took me a while to.. adjust to this situation. Kyuubey wasn´t much help either. He just said that my wish should have been more accurate. Just then I realized why Phichit has been so persistent about wishes and everything. I am not even sure if Kyuubey came back with me.." Otabek looked around like he expected the animal to jump from the nearest corner in any minute. He sighed and tilted his head back to the sofa.

Yuuri didn´t know what to say. He felt that the story will have a continuation. And sure enough, Otabek took a sip and then started talking again.

"You´re probably wondering what took me half a year.. well, I decided not to give up on Jean. At first, he didn´t even believe me that we were friends and even-", he stopped himself for a second and cleared his throat. "Anyway, I showed him photos. Videos. Our chats, our e-mails. He didn´t remember any of them but with me coming every other day to visit even after he was released from the hospital, he was willing to spend some time with me. I thought that maybe I could remind him those great times we´ve spent together, I thought.. well, I thought he would fall in love with me again. But as you probably have guessed by now, it didn´t happen. He is a bit different now and I.. I am probably different, too."

Yuuri looked in those brown eyes. They were a similar color as his own, yet so much different - vulnerable, broken and looking in the distance. Yuuri felt that more than talking to him is Otabek speaking to himself.

"I tried so hard to make it a reality. I had even tried to kiss him once..well, that wasn´t a good idea. But I was desperate already. I gave up everything for Jean´s health; I quit my job - I mean, not technically, but I guess they have fired me already, took all money I had and flew to different continent just to be with him only to found out I mean _nothing_ to him anymore! I wasn´t ready.. for any of that." His voice broke and Yuuri tried at least emphatically to pat him on his back. He was never as close with Otabek as he was with Phichit but still, it was his good friend and he wanted to comfort him.

"Eventually a day came when it all had to stop. I´ve been visiting Leroys almost every day and could tell they were started to getting annoyed by me. I can´t blame them since all they saw was just some man following their son and trying to persuade him for relationship. They clearly accepted fate as it was and just wanted to continue living their life as nothing happened. Like me and Jean _ever_ happened. But I saw only Jean. I wasn´t sure how _he_ was looking at me, though. He had lost all those memories, all _our_ memories.. He´s been polite with me, talked to me, but it was clear he didn´t want to cross the line between two of us.

Finally, after one visit his father called me in the kitchen and I already knew it was over. I´ve always had a better relationship with him than with Jean´s mom.. but still, it was strange. I knew something was up. Eventually, he asked me not to come anymore. He said it makes Jean upset and his mother too. He didn´t have to say more - I understood. They didn´t want someone like me dangling around their son. They´ve probably imagined him with some nice girl. With someone who could actually give them grandkids," he added with a sardonic tone.

Otabek brokenly breathed in and Yuuri could tell his eyes became watery. He felt so sorry for Otabek - but knew people couldn´t be _forced_ to love someone.

"I knew he loved his parents and wouldn´t go against them. So after that, I just went to say goodbye to him. We were sitting in his room and I wasn´t even sure if I was allowed to hug him or not. We didn´t talk much. Finally, Jean took my hand. It was the first time _he_ touched me after he woke up. He looked at me with those grey eyes of him but I couldn´t read anything from them. It was like his true self was hidden somewhere behind them and I could only saw a mirror image of mine. Then he opened up my palm and gave me the pendant; the pendant _I_ dedicated to him the day before I was supposed to fly here in Japan because of the work. I gave it to him so that he _wouldn´t_ forget me. God, what an irony.

"I don´t remember you," he said, "but I wanted to give you this. I think it is very precious to you. You can have it as a memory of me - so at least one of us would remember the past. I am sorry."

Otabek again went silent and Yuuri noticed that he is unwittingly stroking something on his chest under his t-shirt. He was breathing hastily and his hand shook, eyes looking for someone who wasn´t in the room and never even had been.

_Is that the pendant..?_

His thoughts were interrupted when Otabek, clearly exhausted, continued talking with a shaky voice.

"And that was it. I don´t even remember how I went back to my hotel. I tried to give myself time to absorb it all.. but it didn´t help. Finally, I packed away my stuff and flew back here. I kind of hoped it would clean my mind a bit but clearly, things have been pretty rough in here too."

Otabek sighed and took a large gulp from the almost empty bottle.

"Fuck," he cursed when he noticed how much he had drunk already. "I shouldn´t have.. never mind. Shit, Yuuri," he put the bottle on the table and his head to his palms. "Just when did everything become so _fucked up_?" he almost cried from frustration.

Yuuri looked on the broken man in front of him and shivered.

The question stayed in the air, but the answers didn´t seem to come.

\--

"I shouldn´t have drunk so much.. now everything is going to be blur.." grouched Otabek while standing up from the sofa. Yuuri took it as a sign of the end of the discussion and also stood up, carefully taking away the bottle from the sight.

"But you´ve never had problem with alcohol," he noted.

"It´s not about alcohol. It´s about that crazy witch labyrinths, I´ll get dizzy from all the colors and shapes.. my reactions will be a bit slower than usual."

"So you really do hunt witches as Phichit did?" blurted out of Yuuri. He quickly went red; he _wanted_ to ask Otabek, but not like this.

"Well, yeah. It´s my daily bread and at least helps me to forget about everything that.. has been."

Yuuri kept thinking for a while. After _that_ night he was convinced that he never wanted to see any kind of mysteries again. But thinking about it now.. he wasn´t so sure anymore. It looked like Otabek would appreciate some kind of company.

Eventually, he decided.

"Otabek," he turned around to man sitting in the living room. "I was wondering if I can offer you any help."

Otabek´s face lit up a bit.

"Yuuri, you are reading my mind. Actually, I wanted to ask you if I could stay in your place for a while. My old apartment is rented and right now I don´t have money for the hotel.. or job, to be accurate. Of course, I plan to find something soon but till then.."

Yuuri´s mouth opened since this was _not_ exactly the help he was talking about, but why not? God knows that he could get used to some company as well. Being trapped between the same four walls started to be creepy. And this way he could also keep an eye on Otabek. Yuuri was rational enough to know that this is a better solution than just leave him roaming freely in the streets.

"No problem," he answered after a while with a soft smile.

Otabek also smiled, although only a little, like he already forgot how to do it.

\--

And so Otabek moved in and Yuuri was surprised how quickly he got used to having a roommate again. Well, not technically a roommate, since they both lived in separate rooms - Yuuri in the bedroom and Otabek in the living room; but it was nice, having a company. It was nice, not to wake up, eat, drink or doing anything alone. Otabek even shaved that small beard of him and gained a pound or two.

Yuuri got that waiter´s job he was waiting for and truly felt relieved. Sometimes he was afraid that after everything he had been through, he was just too broken for real life again, but it seemed that the universe gave him another chance. By coincidence, another waiter quit by the time Yuuri started his first days in the new job and Otabek applied. He didn´t get this position but ended up behind cash-desk. They took turns; each of them worked only two-three days in the week, but they earned enough money to live like an average people.

Of course, during nights it was different. Yuuri asked Otabek to accompany him on his hunting but it was very different than what he had experienced with Phichit. Yuuri would never dare to tell it directly Otabek in the eyes, but their abilities were markedly divergent. Yes, Otabek was still technically a newbie, but it was evident that hunting is for him much more exhausting and dangerous than for Phichit. At least Otabek also possessed almost incredible healing magic and thus could avoid major injuries. But when Yuuri watched the other man cutting the witch into millions of pieces with his axe, and then Otabek, tired and dirty, pulled out the Grief Seed from the dust and a _genuine_ , triumphal smile appeared on his face, he felt just like during the old times.

\--

It was one of these nights when they were searching through abandoned alleys with glowing Soul Gem in Otabek´s hand. The pulses were very weak and Kyuubey wasn´t there to help them. Finally, after several dead ends, Otabek found the right alley and the crystal started to pulse faster.

"Something´s weird," frowned Otabek as he hesitantly went down the stairs to the alley, brown light barely illuminating the path in front of them. Yuuri barely saw where he was stepping and tried to focus on Otabek´s undercut bobbing beneath him, so he wouldn´t lose him from the sight.

"Wait here, Yuuri, until I figure out, what-"

He was interrupted with the barrier encircling him, but he didn´t disappear. Instead, he backed off a little bit and shouted back.

"Everything okay. It´s a familiar, not a witch. Come here."

Yuuri felt relieved and also ran down the stairs. The barrier was still fluttering around them. Its structure was almost invisible but with a closer look, Yuuri could distinguish some patterns in the air.

"Are you going after it?" he asked. Otabek looked a bit worn out from work and battle with the real witch from yesterday´s night.

"Of course," he replied fast. "Actually, I am a little relieved. This will be quick and we still get to save one or two people. Win-win, if you ask me."

"Okay," nodded Yuuri.

Otabek transformed together with his Soul Gem. He put it back on his finger and was just about to enter the barrier when something flew across the air and stabbed to the ground with a loud whiz. The barrier slowly started to fall apart and both men froze, confused about the sudden situation. Yuuri´s sight fell back to the thing that was sticking out in the shadows.

It looked like a dagger and quite a large one.

"Hey, you two _idiots_! What are you even doing?"

Yuuri winced on the sudden sharp voice from somewhere above them.

_There he is._

Yuuri was nictating into the darkness when he spotted a silhouette of thin, yet tall man shrouding in an oversize pale-yellow hoodie, hands in his pockets; peeping on them from under his fringe almost covering his clear, shockingly green eyes. Yuuri winced and quickly looked at Otabek, but the other man was still gazing towards the intruder and didn´t even move a muscle.

Another dagger flew to their direction and stabbed to the ground and the man stood directly on the handle. Yuuri gasped since he looked _young_ , actually very young. Yuuri could barely guess him twenty years old, maybe even less. Now in front view, his haircut looked even more insane then Yuuri initially thought - the hair on the left side was braided in incredibly small sections, so it looked almost shaved; the other half was loose, forming the fringe. One of his ears was pierced multiple times, the other was hidden beneath the hair. Under the open hoodie, he saw some khaki t-shirt and narrow braces that connected it to the tight jeans full of holes. Boy´s eyes were jumping between Yuuri and Otabek, glancing sharply until he carefully sat, still with his feet on the large dagger.

"Yuri Plisetsky here. And now, let´s get something clear."

\--

Yuuri was sure - in front of them without a doubt stood another witch hunter. Except this one looked almost like a boy, lazily swinging a dagger in his hands and something in him gave Yuuri goosebumps. The boy jumped down to the ground and kept the dagger in his hands. He looked thin, but Yuuri wouldn´t call him fragile. Just from the way how he handled his weapons, Yuuri could tell that he is probably far more experienced than Otabek, although he couldn´t say that for sure.

Finally, it was Yuri who interrupted the silence. He sighed and looked irritated.

"Can´t you see it just a familiar? You don´t bother with that; it doesn´t even drop a Grief Seed! I can´t believe you didn´t see the difference - Phichit had to tell you about it."

Yuuri felt his mouth open in surprise.

_This boy had known Phichit? No way.. he couldn´t.. he´s so young._

Beside him, Otabek cleared his throat and finally opened up his mouth too. It seemed that he came back to himself eventually.

"Of course I _know_ the difference. But familiar can kill people too, that´s why I hunt them. Phichit also did that."

The boy grinned and showed his sharp teeth.

"Yeah, but Phich _could_ afford to waste his energy for such nonsense. You, on the other hand.." he said with mockery in his voice.

Yuuri blinked to Otabek. He saw how the older man clenched his fists and angrily looked at the boy scoffing in his face. There were times when Otabek wouldn´t be even nearly pissed by something like this, but those time were gone and he remained quite bitter and short-tempered.

"What did you just say?" he asked with a pretended calm tone, but his voice shook on the last syllables.

"I said," the boy stepped closer to them but still kept the safe distance, "that you probably missed some Witch Hunter 101 lessons."

He stepped back with a mean smile on his face.

Yuuri anxiously looked at Otabek. The air thickened with the tension between the two witch hunters. Yuuri knew right away that this Yuri has already crossed all the boundaries. Back in the firm, Otabek belonged to the leaders of the department. He wasn´t used to answering back, and certainly _not_ from saucy teenagers.

None of them noticed the small white silhouette passing by until it came to the light.

"So _that´s_ where you´ve been," snorted Otabek on Kyuubey suddenly appearing in front of them.

Yuuri was surprised by his hostile tone - did something happened between those two?

Nothing could be read from Kyuubey´s face, as usual, he just turned his head to the Otabek.

_Strange that you blame me for that. After all, my purpose here is not just to look for suitable candidates for new witch hunters, but also look after the existing ones and dispose of used Grief Seeds._

Otabek just snorted and went back to glaring at Yuri, still holding firm his axe. Kyuubey decided to step next to still surprised Yuuri.

 _Nice to see you again_ , _Yuuri._

 _Uhm.. hello, Kyuubey,_ answered Yuuri and his cheeks went red. Such politeness seemed to him quite useless in the situation he was currently being involved.

"Enough of these idiocies," barked Yuri, as if it personally offended him to be left out of the conversation.

"Hey, _you_ ," his eyes darted back in Otabek´s. "Next time, don´t even waste your time on familiars. Just let them eat like four - five civilians until it becomes a proper witch and _then_ kill it and get a Grief Seed. You´re welcome."

Otabek looked already like he was going to explode but somehow managed to at least speak properly, although his hands were now shaking uncontrollably.

"So you are saying," he pushed through his gritted teeth, "that we should _sacrifice_ five innocent people for our gain."

Yuuri felt relieved, at least for a bit. He was thankful to Otabek that he still cared - not only about him, as his friend and former colleague, but also about other citizens of this city. This Yuri boy, on the other hand, seemed to judge human like they were some goods on the market. It was _sick_.

Yuri stopped exploring the ornaments of his dagger and narrowed his only visible eye. In the growing dark, it shined clear and green, almost emerald. He sighed like he had been through this many times already.

"You´re getting it all wrong. It looks like you´ve been out of school for a while, but you sure know about the food chain, don´t ya? When people get weak, they are eaten by a witch; and those witches are then hunted by witch hunters. This is how it works, right? The stronger you get, the better for you."

Yuri grinned even more. He grasped a dagger and jumped forward, skipped Yuuri like he didn´t even notice him, but then suddenly turned around and with mean smile created a clear green barrier with his hand. Yuuri realized immediately that he was now separated from those two.

"Yuuri!" called Otabek but was stopped by the edge of dagger almost touching his neck. He cursed and stepped back.

"Don´t mind him," silenced him Yuri. "He´ll be safe behind the barrier, _for now_."

Yuuri froze from the fear. He wanted to shout to Otabek but eventually realized there is nothing he could do at the moment.

_Fuck!_

He bit his tongue and kept watching the two of them closely. In the close distance, both men were almost equally tall, forming strange contrast of brown and sand-yellow. Yuri´s grin reminded him of a shark; his sharp teeth could be seen even from the place Yuuri was standing. Otabek, on the other hand, was visibly pissed but kept still, only his eyes burned with anger. He was breathing fast and still stood dangerously close to the dagger exiting from Yuri´s extended hand.

Yuuri noticed Kyuubey by his feet.

 _Kyuubey! Can´t you do anything? What if they start to fight?_ Yuuri turned to the animal with a plea in his mind.

_I am sorry, Yuuri. But it wouldn´t be wise to jump between those two right now. I know Yuri for some time now and he is quite powerful - not as much as Phichit, but certainly enough to beat Otabek._

_Shit._

Yuuri gritted his teeth and returned to the scene. The barrier separating him had a perforating pattern so he could see and hear what was going on, but couldn´t step behind it.

"Is it just me, or you´re playing on superhero rescuing people or something similar fucked up? Cause it really pisses me off when someone mocks my job just because it _looks_ like fun," said Yuri quietly and before Otabek could form an answer, he was already tossed away by Yuri´s massive hit. He yelped and fell hard on the ground, two daggers stabbing his arm and leg. The cries of pain echoed through the dark.

"Otabek!" screamed Yuuri and tried to break the barrier, but it was solid and the foreign magic stung him sharply in his fingers. Yuuri hissed and at least peeped through the apertures to see the fight.

 _This shouldn´t harm him,_ said Kyuubey. _Don´t forget Otabek´s wish was for healing and thus he could heal incredibly fast._

Yuuri nodded absent-mindedly, but that didn´t soothe him.

 _Phichit was also a great healer and still sometimes got life-threatening wounds_.

Finally, he recognized Otabek´s silhouette standing up and could hear the daggers clattering on the cold ground.

"What do you want, you _bastard?_ " he almost spat on the lean figure. Yuuri more felt than saw that mean smile.

"Isn´t it obvious? Your territory," purred the boy.

Otabek was clearly getting a short end, but he managed to laugh Yuri in the face.

"In your dreams, _Yurachka_. And if I say no?"

Yuri quickly went red and his smile turned into an ugly grin.

"Then I´ll _make_ you leave it to me," he growled like a big cat and jumped forward.

Yuuri couldn´t see much from what was happening in the dark behind the barrier. He just barely recognized two silhouettes fighting, there were yells and screams, mostly Otabek´s, but one or two times he could hear also Yuri´s surprised shouts. The weapons were clattering against each other and the flashes of brown and clear green lights were flittering in the air. Finally, something thudded on the ground and nothing more can be heard except heavy panting in the shadow.

Yuuri waited and prayed it was Otabek.

It wasn´t Otabek.

Someone said loud "Tsch!" and Yuuri knew it was the _other_ Yuri. His heart skipped a beat. He had already lost Phichit and Otabek just came back to him. He tried to breathe it out but already felt his throat clenching and knees wobbling with anxiety.

Suddenly, he heard it. Cough, from the other side of the alley. The immutable, disgusting scent of blood reached Yuuri´s nose and his pupils dilated.

 _No_.

His prayers seemed to reach the heavens since he recognized Otabek´s short figure standing up, albeit slowly.

Yuri, who was leaving already, turned around in disbelief.

"Whoa. That should´ve put you in hospital for a good three months. Quite surprising from newbie like you."

Otabek spat the blood away; it hit the ground with a sick flick. He wiped away his lips and growled, so quiet that Yuuri almost didn´t hear him.

"Shut up, you _fucker_."

"Huh. You don´t say," replied the blond and sent another dagger right into Otabek´s shoulder. He yelped with surprise, dropped the axe and felt aside in pain.

Yuri slowly stepped to Otabek and put his hand on the other man´s hair and pulled them so Otabek had to tilt his head. Yuri leaned above him and said with disdain so thick Yuuri could almost feel it.

"I wanted to solve this with just talking, but never mind. It seems you are too stupid to understand a spoken word and fighting with you is ineffective, so that leaves us only one solution."

Even in this dark, Yuuri saw that ugly grin shine on that rebel face.

"I´ll just kill you and take over this city."

\--

Yuuri couldn´t hear anything for a second. He saw Otabek, kneeling on the ground, still with a dagger sticking from his arm, face wry with pain and anger. And above him stood some intruder who just declared that he would _kill_ Otabek.

_I will just kill you._

Those words kept echoing in his mind. This guy, Yuri, wanted this city so bad he was willing to kill a fellow witch hunter for it?

As an answer on his thoughts, Yuri pushed the dagger deeper to Otabek´s arm so it cut through flesh and appeared on the other side. With the other hand, he kept Otabek still so the other hunter couldn´t run away. Otabek almost howled from pain and his voice broke.

Yuuri bit his tongue since he felt a sudden urge to vomit and barely managed to keep his eyes opened. This was beyond sadistic; it literally hurt him just to watch Otabek being tortured and being unable to do anything. Finally, he couldn´t take it anymore and shouted through the barrier with all he got.

"Otabek! I beg you, give up! Who cares about some territory! Please! I don´t want you to die! Not you, too.." his voice broke mid-sentence because he was again looking on Phichit smiling at him, he again saw those gentle brown eyes one second before the witch bit his head off.

He felt on his knees with frustration, tears again pushing from his eyes. Otabek didn´t respond. He wasn´t moving, but his eyes were still darting on the boy as if it could physically hurt him.

"Tsch! Annoying asshole has annoying friend, huh? You should listen to him, otherwise.. who knows what could happen."

Yuri took out another dagger and kept browsing Otabek´s body like he couldn´t decide where would be the best place to stab it. Otabek´s jaw reminded stone, and his body was stiff and solid, just his eyes shined with a quiet challenge.

"Stop.. just stop," whispered Yuuri, although it was clear none of the hunters could hear him. "Something is certainly wrong.. they are supposed to fight _together_ , not against each other! Witches are the enemy! Kyuubey, I beg you.. do something!"

_Yuuri, I can´t do anything. Phichit told you that witch hunters could be very competitive, right?_

Yuuri looked into those pink eyes and almost sobbed.

"Yes, but _killing_ each other? There really isn´t any other solution?"

_Well.. regular human would certainly die in combat against Yuri, but you could try to stop him by force. You have the potential to do it._

Yuuri blinked his eyes.

_Of course.. why didn´t this occur to me before?_

He again looked at the duo. Yuri had already pierced the skin on Otabek´s thigh. The blood was dripping on the ground, soaking into the black fabric.

_This has to stop._

"You´re right," he looked at the animal. "I´ll do it. I´ll make a contract."

"It´s over, asshole! Say goodbye to your friend," shouted Yuri, pulled out the dagger from Otabek´s shoulder and touched the gentle skin on his neck. Otabek almost collapsed on the ground.

_Shit! There is no time!_

"I-" he breathed in.

"It´s okay, Yuuri. You don´t have to do it," echoed familiar voice right next to him.

Yuurimanaged to notice just a glimpse of silver hair waving in the air and crystal blue light.

Victor jumped right between Yuri and Otabek and pushed the younger man back.

\--

"Fuck! What do you _think_ you´re doing?" screamed Yuri when almost fell on the ground, but quickly climbed back on his feet.

Victor didn´t answer, it looked like he was evaluating the situation. Yuri kept glaring daggers at him for a few seconds until he spoke again.

"Ah, I know. You would be that 'irregularity'," he declared after a moment, narrowing his eyes and stepped back a little. "I wonder what type of magic you possess."

Something plunked heavily on the ground and Yuuri immediately noticed the barrier holding him back started to fall apart.

The first thing he saw was Otabek lying and bleeding on the ground without moving.

"Beka!" he yelled and almost jumped to his friend. Otabek´s eyes were half-open but most of his injuries were already healed, except the one on the shoulder which looked really nasty. But he was warm and Yuuri noticed with surprise tears of relief dripping from his own eyes to Otabek´s cheeks and nose.

Kyuubey stood next to Otabek and put a pawn on him.

 _He will be alright. He is just unconscious,_ he informed Yuuri.

"Hey! I was asking you something!" barked Yuri, throwing an angry gaze at Victor, completely indolent to the other two people around him.

"Do you have any problem with me, Yuri Plisetsky?" asked Victor with a cold and quiet tone, almost as if he was bored.

Yuri winced.

"How do you know my name? I don´t remember ever _seeing_ you."

"Who knows," replied Victor mysteriously, obviously avoiding the answer.

Yuuri thought for a second that the other Yuri would just throw a tantrum - he sure seemed pretty much bad-tempered. But he only turned on his heel and was ready to leave. After several steps, he stopped and turned his head to the scene behind him.

"There is no point fighting you.. now. I´ll just wait how this will settle." With those words, he jumped across the walls that were towering above them and vanished in a flash of green light.

Yuuri still kneeled on the ground, holding Otabek in his arms and looking around himself. He somehow couldn´t believe that the other Yuri left just like that. The quiet around them was too suspicious. But the boy didn´t come back and until Victor turned to him, Yuuri didn´t fully realize what has happened.

_Victor saved me.. again._

Yuuri didn´t even know if he should feel grateful or ashamed for causing him nothing but trouble. But he concluded that a proper 'Thank you' would be appropriate. He didn´t save only Yuuri, but above all, he had saved Otabek.

"Victor, thank-"

"Just how many times had I warned you to stay out of this?"

Victor interrupted him; his voice was low and cold. He turned around and Yuuri almost froze - his eyes were icy-blue, radiating with anger _._

"I.." started Yuuri, but somehow couldn´t finish it.

"Are you a fool or something?" continued Victor and his sight had yet again stabbed into Yuuri. "You´ve seen now more than enough about the life of a witch hunter and still, you keep meddling into it."

It was true. It was true and Yuuri knew it, but.. what else was he supposed to do? Letting his friends die? Watching innocent people die? Should he just close his eyes and pretend that nothing´s happening?

"Victor-" he tried again but the other man didn´t allow him to answer.

"My time is too much valuable for such nonsense. I won´t stop you, then."

He turned on his heel and vanished in the flash of crystal blue light.

Yuuri was again left on the ground and his lips started to tremble.

_Victor, why? Why you never give me a chance to explain myself?_

He gritted his teeth and ordered himself not to cry again.

_Well, it´s obvious he has some plan. You should be careful, Yuuri. And Otabek probably too,_ Kyuubey has caught his train of thoughts. _Perhaps he is.._

Kyuubey suddenly stopped talking and flicked his ears towards Otabek.

Yuuri looked down and saw that the other man slowly opened up his eyes and is looking at him, his lips moving without words.

"Beka!" he almost yelled and reflexively gave him a bear hug.

"Yuuri," he heard a deep voice muffled somewhere from his chest. "It hurts."

"Oh, sorry," Yuuri yelped and immediately stopped crushing Otabek. His shoulder looked more or less normal now, and Yuuri fetched a sigh of relief. Only the hideous splash of blood all around them reminded the recent fight.

Otabek slowly sat and carefully moved his limbs, one by one. He spent the most time with that shoulder, frowning and bending it in different angles.

"Are you okay?" asked Yuuri, nervously.

"Yeah.. I´m fine. Maybe this shoulder will need some more time."

They both stood up, still standing in the dark alley, surrounded by night. The moon appeared from behind the clouds and illuminated the street with pale silver light.

"Let´s just go home," said Yuuri softly and offered him a helping arm.

Otabek nodded and accepted it.

\--

That night Yuuri woke up on some strange noises from the living room. He sat slowly on the sheets, rubbed his eyes and pulled the blanket away.

_Otabek..?_

He went to the door and opened them a little, without making a noise and peeped through them.

He didn´t want to _spy_ on Otabek, but he could be having a nightmare or something. He used to have them after he moved in, but thankfully it has stopped already.

Otabek was lying on the sofa on his side, his blanket tossed away and was rambling something with a muffled voice. His arms and legs were wincing from time to time; then he suddenly turned around with his back on the sheets and the noises became louder. He put his arm on the forehead and panted heavily. One loud, deep sob echoed in the room, followed by other, quieter ones.

Now Yuuri was sure Otabek was not sleeping.

He was crying.

Otabek, who never cried for anything. Otabek, who used to be witty and knew all dirty jokes. Otabek, who could drink more beers than Yuuri ever did and who awkwardly tried to hug Phichit while congratulating him on his birthday.

Yuuri´s heart ached with the sudden realization that this Otabek was _gone_ and he didn´t even notice _when_ did it happen.

All that was left was Otabek that had been rejected, heartbroken, beaten up.

Yuuri´s eyes fell on the table where in the moonlight shined that pendant from JJ. Yuuri was surprised - Otabek never took it off, it was always on his chest whether eating, sleeping or fighting with a witch. But right now the string was torn off and the pendant lied on the glass surface of the table, metal cold and alone.

Yuuri shivered when he carefully closed the door again and then leaned against them, feeling the smooth wood.

_Fuck. This is not how it was supposed to be._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have already written a side story (drabble) to this fic about JJBek summer in Canada, if you want to read, here is the link https://archiveofourown.org/works/13908810


	7. I Don´t Rely on Anyone Anymore

****From that unfortunate Yuri incident, everything went downhill. Yuuri noticed Otabek started again immuring himself, just like shortly after JJ accident. Yes, he still went hunting almost every night, but it was always a nerve-racking experience when he and Yuuri had to look behind their backs all the time and froze in the slightest sounds. Otabek preferred to fight familiars since his stamina was quite weak; but to purify his Soul Gem, he also had to fight real witches sometimes. Both of them were full of trepidation when the other Yuri will show up and at the same time both, of them _knew_ that Otabek in his current physical condition couldn´t possibly stand another fight again him and win. It was a hopeless situation; Yuuri remembered well Phichit´s words about how this city was barely enough for one witch hunter - and now there were _three_ of them, all desperate after the Grief Seeds.

\--

 _That won´t do. Too much time has passed and there are almost no clues_ , said Kyuubey, his childish voice echoing in their heads.

"Shit!" cursed Otabek, hitting his axe to the ground with frustration. "That bastard!"

Yuuri sighed. This has not been a first time when they spend hours tracking a witch only to found out that it has been already hunted by somebody else. It was probably that other Yuri, but it could have been also Victor.

"Are you going?" Otabek gritted his teeth when he again transformed his Soul Gem to his palm. The crystal was pulsing weakly and almost nothing could be seen in that brown light. Yuuri didn´t know if it wasn´t just his imagination but it seemed to him that Otabek´s Soul Gem didn´t shine so brightly like two days ago and also that Otabek wasn´t feeling very well. He barely ate and slept badly, too.

"I don´t have Phichit´s stamina, so we better find something soon. And to imagine I have to go to the _work_ in the morning.." he sighed. "This way," he pointed the way to Yuuri who followed after him in another alley.

Yuuri had been thinking about something for a while and he said to himself that perhaps now is the time he should try to talk everything over with his roommate and friend.

"Otabek?" he started, a little bit unsure, looking around.

"Hm?" asked the other man.

"Aren´t you worried that if you continue to fight witches, Yuri will show up again?"

"Probably yes," sighed Otabek. "But I have no choice. My magic is way less effective than was Phichit´s, so I have to go hunting far more often."

It was true - Yuuri remembered going out with Phichit almost every night, but only in the beginnings. Later, he went hunting far less often and rather spent his evening with Yuuri and without witches. By that time, Yuuri wasn´t able to fully appreciate how much of a _luxury_ it was. Still, it had to be tough for Otabek to admit his weak sides, even in front of him. Yuuri again opened up his mouth, his eyes fixated on the leather jacket in front of him.

"You know.. maybe it would be worth trying to find that other Yuri and you know.. talk that out."

Otabek stopped and turned around, and Yuuri almost bumped into him.

"Talk it out?" he repeated, disbelief mirroring in his face.

"I mean..it´s one of the options. The _less_ violent one, I think."

Otabek kept silent for a bit and then looked Yuuri directly in the eyes.

"Yuuri..in your opinion, what you saw the other night, was a normal, regular fight?"

 _It probably wasn´t, but..,_ Yuuri wanted to say.

"Exactly," declared Otabek, his words cold and harsh. Yuuri now started to think that telepathy of witch hunters probably doesn´t involve only Kyuubey, but also regular humans.

"That´s because it _wasn´t_. Didn´t you see it on your own eyes? He tried to _kill_ me, Yuuri. And you say we should sit down and chit chat about it?"

"But.. but.." Yuuri couldn´t find the proper words for an answer. "That makes it even worse. Don´t you see it? You both are witch hunters; so you should fight _witches_! Not each other!"

It was hard and confusing being the only regular human between all the witches, witch hunters and in the center of everything. Yuuri sometimes wished that Otabek would understand how _ungrateful_ is his position as an observer who can´t help anyone. But this was crucial.

He tried once again, to prove his point while Otabek was frowning at him, his face illuminated in weak brown light.

"There had to be a solution that is fair to everyone. I mean, you all have a common enemy, right? I am sure that both Yuri and Victor are seeing it the same way. Their methods might be different but the goal is the same. You don´t have to be friends, but you could be alleys. Maybe if Phichit did listen to Victor´s warning that night, he would be still ali-"

"Shut up!" yelled Otabek so loud that Yuuri winced. Otabek never went against him so far but lately, he has been incredibly unpredictable.

"Don´t you dare to praise that asshole Victor in front of me! You saw it, right? You told me about it! He _waited_ till Phichit got killed and only _then_ came to kill the witch! All because he wanted a Grief Seed!"

His eyes were glistening with fury, his face in an ugly grin.

Yuuri shook his head automatically.

"No! That´s _not_ true; I was there-"

Otabek didn´t let him finish the sentence and kept yelling at him.

"That bastard Yuri is the same as Victor. They use _humans_ as living baits for witches just to get Grief Seeds! It´s gross! I.. I see it now. Phichit was the only one different. The other witch hunters think only about their own asses. I understand. Too late that I found out just now."

His sight fell somewhere distant, his eyes dull and empty.

Yuuri froze at the spot he was standing on with terror. Otabek looked like a mad man. He believed in delusions he himself created and kept pushing Yuuri from himself. It _hurt_.

"I decided to fight against this stupid system. I don´t rely on anyone anymore; and I´ll fight anyone worse than witches themselves, even if it means fellow witch hunters."

He smiled and it was an ugly smile, dedicated to everyone and no one at the same time.

"Now if you excuse me, I have work to do."

Otabek turned on his heels and vanished in the dark.

Yuuri felt something inside him moved. It wasn´t pleasant, and he couldn´t fight it. He barely felt his lungs working, despite all the shock spreading inside of him. What he just saw.. wasn´t Otabek. It couldn´t be. It just.. _couldn´t_.

In the corner of his eye, he spotted a small white silhouette.

 _Kyuubey.._ he thought in despair, suppressing the tears pushing from his eyes, _say something to him, I beg you._

Those pink eyes looked at him.

_That won´t do, Yuuri. He won´t listen to me, just like he didn´t listen to me in Canada. He is too reckless. But I will tell you this, Yuuri. In two months, a very powerful witch called Walpurgis will come to this city, I feel it. So strong that one witch hunter won´t be able to kill it. Two might, but three would definitely win. I am sure Victor and Yuri know about this, too; so it´s in their mutual interest to let Otabek live. That´s also probably why any of them didn´t take any action towards him so far._

With those words, he left and let Yuuri stand in the alley.

Yuuri thought about losing one friend, not so long ago; and now the other one slowly, but surely slipping away from him.

He couldn´t lose also Otabek. It would be too much.

It was time for some action.

\--

The next day Yuuri woke up and realized Otabek wasn´t there, but his clothes from yesterday were hanging from the chair and the bed was still messy.

_He probably went to work.. I wonder if he slept at least for an hour._

Yuuri had a clear plan for today. Despite Victor being obviously pretty mad at him the last time they met, he had to give it a try. It was the only option. If Otabek didn´t want Yuuri around him anymore, perhaps Victor could keep an eye on him from above.

He didn´t have Victor´s phone number or anything, so he just went to his old work and asked his secretary for him.

"I am very sorry, but Mr. Nikiforov is busy and asked me not to let anyone in except for highest emergency," she was polite but unyielding.

"It _is_ an emergency," implied Yuuri. "We are talking about human _lives_ here, for Christ´s sake."

"I am very sorry, Mr. Katsuki, but as I have been repeatedly telling you, Mr. Nikiforov-"

"Enough of this bullshit!" growled Yuuri. He used to be patient formerly, but times have changed. Everything has changed.

"Victor!" he shouted the loudest as he could. "I need to speak with you!"

"Oh heavens! Mr. Katsuki, how dare you? Mr. Nikiforov needs quiet and-" she tried to interrupt him and keep him away from circling her table.

"Victor!" called Yuuri. "Open that fucking door, right now!"

"Security!" shrieked the secretary, already pulling Yuuri back by his shirt and jacket.

 _I need to get to Victor no matter what,_ he thought and pushed the woman away from him.

By the glimpse of an eye, he saw three men in black uniforms and gritted his teeth.

Finally, the door smashed open and Victor stepped outside.

"What´s up for this-Yuuri?" he asked and waved his hand shortly. The men stopped and the secretary too, red in face and her clothes messy.

"In my office, now. Bring us some coffee, please," he said shortly and beckoned his head to Yuuri.

 _Finally_.

They sat across each other in comfy seats, but Yuuri barely paid any attention to the nice furnished office. The secretary, already tidy, brought them two cups of coffee and even some cookies and dedicating angry look at Yuuri at her way out, she left.

"So," started Victor. "What brings you here?"

He was evidently not nearly pissed as before, but not completely relaxed, either.

Yuuri breathed in.

"Look, Victor.. I know things have been.. kind of weird between us lately, but I still wanted to ask you for something. Will you listen to me?"

He just nodded; his face stayed illegible. None of them paid attention to the food and drink on the table between them.

"It´s about Otabek. That incident with Yuri struck him a lot..and.. I wanted to ask you if you could keep an eye on him. If the other Yuri shows up again.. I am afraid, that.. well, he could use some help."

It sounded _so_ childish and Yuuri knew that Otabek wouldn´t approve any of it, but it was Yuuri´s only hope for saving him.

Victor chuckled but it sounded cold.

"You want me to do babysitting? I am a little too old for that, Yuuri."

"That´s not what I meant, just.. help him. Please. I beg you, Victor. Otabek is a good person in his heart, but he had been through horrible things. But maybe, maybe.. there is still a way back. Victor, please. I don´t want to lose another friend."

Yuuri wanted to sound tough but his eyes betrayed him. They watered and he quickly wiped them out with his sleeve. Until he spoke those words out loud, he didn´t truly realize how _much_ he cared for Otabek. He truly, _genuinely_ wanted him back. But he already lost his options. He couldn´t help Otabek anymore in any sense. And he couldn´t even _tell_ , if Otabek wanted his help or not. It made his heart clench achingly.

"Look, Yuuri," started Victor and leaned forward with elbows on his thighs, so he could look Yuuri directly in the eyes. "I understand what you are trying to say. But.. I don´t want to give any promise I can´t keep. So I will say it now to give you more time to accept it."

His icy-blue eyes were glistening as his face came closer to Yuuri´s, so close that Yuuri could see every detail of Victor´s irises. The smell of coffee was tickling him in his nose.

"You should give up on Otabek."

Yuuri froze.

Those words kept echoing in his mind.

_You should give up on Otabek._

"Why?" he asked with a weak voice, more reflexively than wittingly.

_Does that mean.. that Otabek is going to die, too? Just like that? In vain, just like Phichit did?_

"Because he should never form a contract in the first place. His wish betrayed him and his magic is weak. The less he believes in his abilities, the weaker it gets. I blame myself partly for this, too. I should have watched him more closely and not focus entirely on you. He is already beyond salvation. Once you become a witch hunter, the contract forces you to give up on everything in exchange for one miracle."

Victor gave him his answer and Yuuri felt like the temperature in the room decreased about ten degrees down. He shivered.

"Don´t you need him? For beating the Walpurgis witch? Kyuubey told me - you can´t just get rid of him-"

"I have no desire to fight him," interrupted him Victor. "If it gives you any hope, I´ve spoken to Yuri Plisetsky and he should also retreat.. for now. After Walpurgis is defeated, I´ll leave this city and what happens next, is not up to me."

Two months.

To Yuuri, it sounded like Victor and Yuri will just use Otabek as a support role and then simply get rid of him so his incompetence won´t get more it the way. The city will be then taken over by Yuri and Victor will probably leave. Win-win, well at least for the two of them.

"I won´t let you," he heard himself saying, his voice trembling with anger. "I won´t let you kill him, I´ll stop you even if I die. He did nothing bad."

Victor dedicated him a crooked smile.

"Yuuri, I think you are talking to the wrong person here."

With that, he leaned onto the chair and his sight fell to the window, a clear sign that the conversation was over.

Yuuri wiped his eyes once more and ran away from the room.

\--

Next days resembled each other as one oak leaf to another. Since Yuuri took a couple of days off, he could basically lie in the bed for the whole day and not care for anything.

But he cared.

He cared about Otabek, despite Victor explicitly said to him that it´s useless.

_You should give up on Otabek._

Otabek now spent almost all his time outside the apartment, probably at work or maybe he was still pissed at Yuuri and didn´t want to be in the same room as him. Yuuri tried to call him but without success. Kyuubey didn´t come for days, and he could only guess what it meant.

Yuuri sighed.

He felt alone, _so_ alone. Ever since Phichit died he missed somebody he could talk with about everything, somebody who would be there for him.

A loud knock on his door broke his line of thoughts.

He winced and when knocking didn´t stop, he went to look what is happening.

Yuuri carefully half-opened up the door and immediately saw it was just a postman. Brown hairs were sticking out from under the giant cap and he could hear merry voice hidden behind a huge package.

"A delivery for Mr. Altin! Please, take the package and sign here.."

That voice was familiar.

Like a memory from a different life, a certain girl´s face popped up in his mind.

"Yuuko-chan?" he breathed out.

The girl impatiently peeped from behind the cardboard holding in her hands and her eyes widened immediately.

" _Yuuri?!"_

\--

"It´s unbelievable, after all those years.."

They were sitting in the living room, hot tea in their hands.

Yuuko was his friend back from elementary school, albeit two years older than him. They were close to each other for a long time, but then Yuuri started to study at the university in the main city and as it uses to be, they somehow lost contact. Yuuri was genuinely happy to see her again and since this was her last delivery package, he invited Yuuko inside.

"When I heard you are coming back I tried to find you, but.. you were always working and honestly, I felt embarrassed at myself for not calling or anything else during those last years. Eventually, I stopped trying," she shrouded her shoulders and took a sip from tea.

"Yeah..," Yuuri somehow didn´t know what to say. His eyes fell back on the package, now carefully put next to the chair and table with Otabek´s stuff.

Yuuko´s keen eyes noticed it and she hummed.

"Your roommate, huh?"

"Moreless.. we knew each other couple years now. But.. uhm.. he´s not here at the moment."

"I can see that," noted Yuuko and kept looking around.

Yuuri wasn´t sure if he should ask her for some advice, but he started to get desperate already. Even little things could be something that could eventually help Otabek.

"Say, Yuuko..," he started and put his cup on the table. "Have you ever been in the situation when your friend was in trouble?"

She frowned slightly. "What kind of trouble you have in mind?"

"Unfortunately I can´t tell you anything specific, but.. I am really worried about him. He probably means well, but the more he tries to do what´s right according to him, the worse it gets. It´s strange and we are coming apart. I don´t know what to do."

"Hmm." Her face reflected all kinds of emotions; it was very different than Otabek´s. "I think I know what you mean. Actually, it happens a lot. I mean, sometimes you can´t just reach happy ending by doing only what is _right_."

Yuuri kept listening. It sounded interesting and gave a lot of things a new perspective.

"There is a way.. although it´s not from the prettiest one. I can confirm that. But, it gives results. I assume you are well beyond talking things out?"

Yuuri nodded.

"Then, you just have to do something _wrong_. Somebody needs to be in the wrong to balance his need to be in the right. You know what I mean - telling a white lie, or just running away instead of staying.. and such. It may sound strange.. but eventually you´ll find out it was the best solution after all. Sometimes, when you are out of all other options, you can always choose to make a mistake. But be prepared, Yuuri. It´s very plausible no one will understand why are you doing this; barely that it´s even in their own sake. I´ve been there - be careful not to lose more than you gain of it. That´s probably all I can say to you about this right now."

Yuuri listened, deep in thoughts. What Yuuko was saying, wasn´t nice. But then again, she said it for herself - it was not one of the prettiest methods. He didn´t want to hurt Otabek any more than he seemed to be, but he didn´t care anymore about whether Otabek will think ill of him or not. It was definitely better than to just give up on him and do nothing.

"Thank you, Yuuko. You gave me a lot to think about."

The girl smiled slightly and returned to her cup.

\--

After Yuuko left, the apartment felt again so lonely. He cleaned up those few dishes that lied in the sink and was just searching for a cloth to dry them when he saw a familiar silhouette behind the kitchen window.

_Yuuri! Come, quickly! Otabek is in danger!_

Yuuri´s heart skipped a beat.

He dropped everything and run from the apartment, eyes locked on the white fur bobbing in front of him.

They were running for maybe ten minutes when Kyuubey finally led him to the large bridge above the main street. The cars were rushing under them, honking, and the sun was long gone, replaced by a cold moon.

Yuuri again spotted Yuri, already transformed with one dagger in both of his hands, and Otabek standing in front of him, almost growling. He took out his Soul Gem and was about to transform any second.

"Beka! No!" yelled Yuuri and threw himself on Otabek. He was determined to stop this fight by all means.

"Yuuri?!" winced Otabek, pushing him away. "What are you even doing here?"

"Ha! Another loser on the scene?" Yuri shouted to him, his grin wide and mean.

"This is not what we had agreed on. I remember telling you to keep your hands off from Otabek Altin."

Quietly like a shadow, Victor appeared behind Yuri´s back, darting his eyes onto him.

Yuuri´s eyes widened at the sudden change of scene. Out of nowhere, all three witch hunters met on the single place.

Yuri hissed from surprise, but then just snorted and turned back to Otabek.

"Your method is too slow! We don´t need him for Walpurgis Night, he´s useless!"

Yuuri, still clutching to Otabek´s arms, watched as his eyes widened in surprise and anger and it was painfully obvious this is the first time he had ever heard about Walpurgis.

"Then, I´ll take him down. You wait here."

Victor turned to Otabek, already in his familiar coat and his silver hair waving around him.

Something in Yuuri died; he never thought Victor could be such a good liar and switched sides immediately. _But he never promised you anything_ , said some small, mean voice in his head and Yuuri pressed hands on his ears, already thinking he´s going crazy any minute.

_To balance someone who thinks he´s in right, you need to do something wrong._

"Sorry, Otabek! Forgive me!" shouted Yuuri and made the first thing he came to his mind. He jumped forward, ripped Soul Gem out of Otabek´s hand so he couldn´t transform and threw it away, down from the bridge with all his might.

Yuuri just hoped Victor would have enough decency to not kill an unarmed person.

He looked at Victor, whose face suddenly gained terribly appalled expression and he literally vanished in the air.

"Hey!" yelled the other Yuri but Victor was already gone.

"Yuuri!" Otabek snapped at him. "Are you crazy? What do you think you´re doin-"

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his face achingly crooked, mouth still opened and eyes empty.

Like a dead weight, he fell on the ground with a sick thud.

_You shouldn´t have done that, Yuuri. Throwing your friend away just like this.. there is something definitely wrong with you._

Kyuubey appeared in front of him and put one of his pawns on Otabek.

Yuuri watched the scene as in some slow-motion old movie and his breathing now became heavy, like the air around him thickened and glued to his skin.

_Kyuubey is saying.. that I did this?_

_That can´t be true. It just.. it doesn´t make any sense._

Kyuubey jumped away from the body and sat to the guard at the edge on the bridge. The cars were still flowing under them, one after another.

Yuuri kept watching but Otabek wasn´t moving. He didn´t blink, either. He reached his hand to touch him, to wake him up. By the contact of his fingers with Otabek´s skin, Yuuri winced and got goosebumps.

Otabek wasn´t warm, as he usually was.

_What the fuck is happening?_

His skin was mild-tempered, not responding to any of his efforts to wake him up.

"Otabek! Beka! Get up!"

Yuuri was now almost yelling, hitting that body, his voice cracking at syllables uncontrollably.

Otabek looked like.. dead. But that´s not possible, is it? Five minutes ago he was alive and well. Yuuri felt like his heart was grabbed by a cold palm and gasped.

"Move!" some harsh voice echoed and he had been pushed away from Otabek.

Yuri came close to Otabek and kneeled to him.

"Get away from him!" yelled Yuuri since he genuinely believed Yuri wants just take this opportunity and cut Otabek up as he was lying there, helpless, defenseless.

"Quiet!" hissed Yuri and to Yuuri´s surprise, he rolled Otabek over to his back and pressed two of his fingers firmly to his neck veins.

_It will be alright. It will be alright. He will wake up._

Yuuri was almost praying for that to be true.

"How is this possible? He´s _dead_!" snapped Yuri.

_No._

\--

Yuuri unwittingly fell on his knees next to Otabek. He was panting, his chest was clenching. How before the air seemed thick to him, now it was the opposite - it was thin and Yuuri was desperate after at least some oxygen.

_Otabek.._

"Hey! I was asking you something!"

As coming through the fog, he heard some voice; young, harsh and impatient.

With an enormous effort he turned around, one of his hands still put on Otabek´s chest. He just now noticed it´s not moving up and down as it should be.

Yuri was flaring with fury, daggers in his hands trembling, but he wasn´t speaking to him, no..

Yuri was speaking to Kyuubey.

The animal just now unglued from the guard but didn´t come closer to them.

_I wanted to avoid this since incidents like that happen rarely, but since you already asked I have to answer._

_Witch hunters can control their bodies only for a distance of one hundred meters at most._

There was a moment of silence until Yuri spoke again.

"What?" he spat. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

_Soul Gems are usually very close to your bodies, so as I was saying, these things happen very rare. Why do you think they can transform in such a convenient shape of finger ring? To carry them by yourself all the time, of course._

Yuuri was listening, but the words were just passing by and he couldn´t pay attention to them. Not when he could feel Otabek´s body getting colder under his palm by any minute.

"Kyuubey, please, do something! Save Otabek!" he turned to the guard, almost blind by tears.

 _Yuuri..this is not Otabek. It is just a vessel. What you did throw away.. that was Otabek._ Kyuubey looked at him, his face unchanged.

Yuuri winced, but his hand stayed glued to Otabek.

"What," he heard himself whispering.

_When forming a contract.. you are bound with the duty to fight witches. But as you could already see, those are powerful creatures. They would kill regular human like you in a minute. For fighting and winning, you need better bodies. Stronger bodies. Such ones that could endure everything. That is why the body of a witch hunter it´s just something as external hardware; while your souls are given a much better, safer form. That is part of my job when performing a contract. I remove your soul from your bodies and change it into a Soul Gem._

"You fucking bastard!" suddenly yelled out Yuri and throw a dagger after the animal who dodge it in a blitz. "You basically turned us into _zombies_!"

Kyuubey moved in the shadows, only two pink eyes glowing in the dark.

_But isn´t it way more convenient this way? Even if your heart would be shred to pieces, or you lose every last drop of blood from your body; if you heal that damage with magic, you are able to immediately stand up and continue fighting. That way, you are basically invincible, unless your Soul Gem breaks. Isn´t this much better, more effective solution than to bother with human bodies that are full of potential problems?_

Both Yuri and Yuuri were watching in where Kyuubey was hidden. Yuuri saw that the other Yuri got pale, his eyes widened and his teeth were gritted so strong he could count muscles in his face.

If what everything he just heard was true..then the only solution is that _he_ , Yuuri himself, _killed_ Otabek.

He _killed_ him.

Yuuri felt sudden nausea and had to suppress vomiting. It was awful, but it had to be true since the anger on Yuri´s face was real and it was obvious that he too knew nothing about these sick ideals Kyuubey was talking about. The situation got even worse when Yuuri realized that his soul is still _within_ him, but everyone else - Otabek, Victor, Yuri - had to undergo that removing process and now they could _see_ their own soul trapped in the shiny crystal, the only thing that decides about their life and death.

 _If you are wondering, why I am hiding.._ came the voice from the shadows, _it´s not because I am afraid. I have unlimited number of bodies, but letting them kill out of passion is just wasting material. But I have been through this explanation more than once and it´s always the same - anger, cry, questioning.. To us, you are all the same. I don´t get it. Why humans always care so much about where is their soul located?_

Yuuri couldn´t listen to it anymore. He felt disgusted, afraid, and most of all, _betrayed_. He knew Kyuubey for months now and most of the time he was always near, helping Phichit actively or at least offering Yuuri a company. Yuuri knew that Kyuubey is emotionless since Phichit told him that, but he would never guess what kind of monster he is. He understood now why the cat is hiding - not just Yuri, but also now he wanted to break his neck and shook the life out of him.

He didn´t notice Victor coming back until the tall figure appeared next to Otabek and put his Soul Gem back to his cold palm.

Yuuri immediately looked at Victor, mouth wide open in surprise.

_After everything he said.. he came back?_

Victor was panting, his cheeks flushed, and Yuuri noticed a few silver hairs stuck to his forehead.

Yuuri winced on the sudden move under his fingers.

Otabek started to move slightly, he breathed in and started to cough. Slowly, he opened up his eyes and looked around himself, sitting up.

"What happened?" he asked, his eyes big and innocent and puzzled and Yuuri now _knew_ that everything what Kyuubey just said, had to be true.

\--

"You _deceived_ us."

Otabek´s voice was dark and deep while throwing his Soul Gem on the table in the living room.

After everything Kyuubey told them, Yuri vanished without any explanation and Victor followed him soon after. Yuuri and Otabek returned home. Shortly after they stepped into the apartment Kyuubey showed up but remained carefully in the corner. Honestly, Yuuri was surprised that Otabek didn´t throw something after him the moment he spotted that white fur.

_That´s not true. I only asked if you want to become a witch hunter. That is all. You can argue I didn´t explain all the details covering it but you never asked about it, either. I am positive that if you didn´t find out, it wouldn´t bother you at all. Phichit, for example, never knew about this._

Yuuri winced when he heard the name of his deceased friend. But he had already realized that although Phichit was veteran and experienced witch hunter, there were a lot of things he never found out. Like this one.

 _You humans don´t know you have a soul in the first place,_ continued Kyuubey _,_ his sight jumping between both men looking at him. _Your body is just a collection of cells, veins, and nerves. It can´t last forever and when you die, your soul vanishes, too. But when the soul gains a physical form that can no longer happen. Moreover, you can pick it up and look at it. All of it is just to help you fight more safely._

"I never asked you for this!" yelled Otabek and hit the wall with a fist from the frustration.

Kyuubey shook his head and Yuuri could swear his tone now sounded more irritable although it shouldn´t have been possible.

_Otabek, you are still taking combat too lightly. Let me remind you, then. Yuri hadn´t injured you very badly, but what do you think would happen if he stabbed you with a dagger right into your stomach?_

Kyuubey didn´t wait for an answer, jumped to the table and put one pawn on Otabek´s Soul Gem. It shined brightly and suddenly, Otabek yelped and reflexively clenched both his hands on his belly, his eyes shut firmly. He fell on his knees, cursed and gritted his teeth firmly, but as seconds continued, his mouth opened forcibly and he let out a groan, heavy and loud and obvious in pain.

"Kyuubey! Enough!" yelled Yuuri realizing that the animal is wittingly hurting Otabek on purpose.

The animal broke the contact with Soul Gem which immediately stopped glowing and looked at Otabek, panting on the ground.

_This is how it would feel. As you can see, you can´t even move from the pain and that was just one dagger. If he would hit your head or heart, you would die in a minute. But since your consciousness is no longer directly linked with your body, you can endure practically everything. If you want, you can switch off the pain completely to not get distracted by it. Although it would slow your reaction for a bit so I can´t say it is recommended._

Yuuri´s hear clenched with ache after these words; not just for poor Otabek kneeling on the floor, but also for Phichit. He remembered well the injuries Phichit sometimes gained that were complicated to heal and his vast loneliness. He could avoid all that pain, but he probably didn´t know there was such an option. Or maybe he _did_ know but decided not to use it. Maybe the pain helped him feel more like a _human_.

It was all past now.

"Why?" asked Otabek and finally slowly stood up, his eyes darting at the small creature sitting at the table. "Why did you _this_ to us?"

_You had a wish so important to you that you agreed to become a witch hunter, right? And your wish came true, didn´t it?_

With those words, Kyuubey jumped down and looked at them, standing together.

 _If you will need me again, just call me. It is my duty to help existing witch hunters by fighting as well as recruiting new ones. I bear no hate for you,_ he said and then almost vanished in the air.

"Wait!" shouted Otabek and throw himself at the spot Kyuubey was standing before but he was already gone.

"Beka.. just.. just let him go, okay?" proposed Yuuri with a weak voice. Otabek looked at him, his eyes corpse dead and slowly crawled at the sofa. He just sat there, his sight empty, and didn´t move. Only his deep breathes could be heard in the dark room.

"I am.. so sorry," started Yuuri hesitantly and sat next to him. It seemed the question broke Otabek´s thoughts since he looked at him.

"Sorry? For what?"

_For that that you have to endure your soul being taken away. For everything._

"I..-", started Yuuri but somehow couldn´t continue. Otabek didn´t like when someone pitied him.

"It´s not your fault I ended up as a pure tool for killing witches," said Otabek with sardonic voice. He leaned forward and put his head to the palms, fingers again helplessly brushing through his hair. "Like this, I can´t possibly show up in front of him," he said, so quietly that Yuuri barely heard him. Maybe Otabek didn´t want him to hear it at all.

"I´m sorry," said Yuuri again, sounding like an idiot, but he _had_ to tell something.

"Don´t be," declared Otabek as if it was tiring him. "I should be sorry. I´ve been pretty mean to you lately; you don´t deserve this. I still see you as my friend but a lot of things changed. I´ve changed, too.." his voice went silent, and Yuuri caught Otabek absent-mindedly stroking his palm through the fabric on his chest, but the pendant was no longer there.

It surprised him.

"I know," he said and Otabek winced at the sound. "It´s okay, I will stay with you. We are friends, after all. We´ve been through worse already, weren´t we?" he tried to smile. Although it came out as shaky, it was sincere.

Otabek finally relaxed and his brown eyes found Yuuri´s.

"I wonder if we _really_ were."

\--

"Finally one that is still free," whispered Otabek while following the strong pulses of brown light, his skin glistening with sweat. Lately, it took him longer and longer the found at least some prey. Yuuri was worried - if tracking a witch was so exhausting to him, what about the actual fight?

"There is a labyrinth. Want to go?" he asked.

_I made a promise. I won´t leave Otabek._

Yuuri just nodded and stepped into the trembling ring in the air, following him.

None of them noticed green eyes carefully looking in their direction, watching their steps.

This labyrinth was purely black and white, with the exceptions of some red ornaments floating around in the hot air. Otabek transformed and rushed forward to the black mass which Yuuri anticipated was a witch. Unfortunately, it seemed quite powerful. Otabek was attacking again and again, his axe too fast for Yuuri´s human eyes; cutting into the mass but obviously without effect. He already gained a lot of wounds and his right leg looked badly injured. One of the witch´s arms - it seemed to possess an unbelievable amount of them - lifted Otabek like he was a feather and threw him away with enormous speed.

"Fuck, I just can´t watch it any longer."

Out of blue, Yuri appeared and Yuuri yelped.

_Just when..?_

Yuri jumped and caught Otabek in the air and put him on the ground.

"I got this," he said and already prepared started to slant the witch with his daggers.

Yuuri watched as Otabek opened up his eyes again, the wounds healing in front of his eyes. He spotted Yuri and growled.

"Move out of my way," he barked, pushed the younger hunter aside and Yuuri noticed fury burning in his eyes. He yelled, took a giant leap forward, dodged all the arms and cut his axe deep into the black mass in the center.

"What is he thinking-" started Yuri but Yuuri pulled him back by his hoodie. He watched as those emerald eyes darted in his, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, his face naturally pale.

"Please, let him.. he really needs to win," whispered Yuuri.

He wanted to say that Otabek hadn´t cleaned his Soul Gem for more than two weeks now since he had no Grief Seeds; he wanted to tell him how much Otabek wanted to win, but in the end, he didn´t say anything.

Yuuri didn´t know if Yuri is also talented in mind-reading but he somehow suspected all witch hunters gain this ability, if at least for a little.

Yuri´s face cleared for a bit, his eyes widened and the boy yanked his sleeve out of Yuuri´s fingers.

"Tsch!" he said only and remained on the same spot, but daggers in his hands didn´t vanish.

Yuuri´s sight again fell on Otabek who was fighting ahead of them and his body froze in shock.

As if it was the first time he saw the other man took fighting for real.

Otabek was incredibly quick, his body twisted in impossible angles as he jumped and crouched and his axe was slowly, but surely cutting the mass on smaller pieces. One of remaining witch´s arms went right _through_ him; and he just laughed, cut the arm, pulled it off his stomach with the pieces of flesh and tossed it away. Another arm grasped his shoulder - the bad one - and dislocated it. The man didn´t even move a muscle but quickly corrected the injury and with a mad yell jumped down at the poor pieces of black mass rolling on the ground. He grabbed his axe once again and started to cut; cut it down, cut everything down, until all that remained was dust and all that could be heard was a maniacal laugh.

Yuuri couldn´t watch the slaughter in front of them any longer; his sight fell involuntarily on the ground. It was clear that Otabek snapped. He was wittingly sacrificing his own body for dodging witch´s attack and even took advantage of it. Blood was everywhere he looked, strongly contrasting with the black and white ground, and he had to suppress the urge to vomit when he realized it had to be Otabek´s since never before he saw witches bleed.

Finally, Otabek reached in the pile of dust to the Grief Seed, looking at it for a bit. The labyrinth slowly fell apart until all three of them found themselves in an abandoned factory. Otabek turned to them, head tilted aside with a crazy smile on his face and blood drying on his cheek.

"Kyuubey was right - if you don´t want to, you really can´t feel any pain."

He tossed the Grief Seed to Yuri who caught it, surprise mirroring on his face.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Now we´re even. I don´t want to owe you anything. Now get out."

Yuri had been glaring at him for a moment and then vanished.

Yuuri watched as Otabek was walking back to him as nothing happened; like this was night as any other.

But it wasn´t.

Yuuri clearly heard Otabek´s voice, echoing in his mind.

_If you don´t want to, you really can´t feel any pain._

It wasn´t true.

Since only _watching_ Otabek falling more and more into despair was painful.


	8. I Was So, So Stupid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of notes for this chapter:  
> \- Yuuri´s POV is changing to multiple POV. Although I originally tried to recreate the fiction solely with Yuuri´s POV, I realized later that it´s simply not possible due to the character of the story.  
> \- If you noticed the tags "Mentions of child abuse, Mentions of alcoholism, Mentions of prostitution" - these all will be mentioned in Yuri´s background story which differs massively from the original anime. If you are bothered by that, you can skip that part, but again I can´t say it´s recommended. These tags only apply to this chapter.

** ** _Yuuri was surrounded by thick, grey fog. It was unpleasant and warm, sticking to his skin and reminding him something.. what was it? He was sure he felt it somewhere before.._

_Suddenly, a familiar face appeared in front of him. It was Otabek, standing, his face clear, his eyes soft, and he was smiling._

_That surprised Yuuri. It really had been a long time since he had seen Otabek smiling, sincere and genuinely, from the heart._

_"You should give up on Otabek."_

_Victor´s words cut through the thick air like a knife and echoed in the space where he was standing._

_Without a word, Otabek pulled up one of his sleeves and a dagger appeared in his other hand; and still smiling, cut himself deep in the wrist, blood flooding on the ground with sick splash noises. His face became pale, he closed his eyes and tilted his head back as he fell on the ground in the horribly crimson puddle._

_Yuuri wanted to stop it, he wanted to reach towards him, touch him, took away that dagger, but his feet were like glued to the ground. As the pool of blood enlarged, he could only scream to that hideous fog, to give Otabek back, to bring him back to life, to-_

"NOO!"

Yuuri winced strongly and woke up screaming in the dark. When his consciousness hit his brain, he realized that he was at his bed and this was just another of his nightmares.

He sighed and sat, the headache slowly pulsing around his temples. Since he witnessed Otabek´s breakdown two weeks ago, he again started to have nightmares. And just like after Phichit´s death, these were also full of blood and dying Otabek. This was probably a way his body wanted to tell him that he too, was slowly hitting his limit.

Yuuri stood up and went to get a glass of water. The apartment was quiet and empty. Otabek didn´t show up for days and Yuuri had no clue where was he staying and what he had been doing all day. Sometimes he found his stuff ruffled or at different place compared to where it was before; the clear sign that Otabek _was_ here, but from the unknown reason he vanished before Yuuri came in the apartment.

Yuuri sighed and took a sip from the water; then got back to the bedroom, put the glass on the nightstand and try to get at least some sleep without blood and hot, sticky fog.

\--

The next day going home from work, deep in thoughts; he suddenly bumped into someone in the street. When Yuuri quickly moved his sight up with an excuse on his lips, he gasped from surprise. It was none other than Victor.

He stepped back a little but Victor stayed. Yuuri now knew him enough to know that he wouldn´t stay standing if he didn´t have some reason.

Maybe the time came to finally stop hiding before those eyes which always bored him to the soul.

"Victor, how about we get some coffee?" he said and beckoned his head to the nearest bistro.

The silver-haired man just nodded and then followed Yuuri, his ponytail resting freely on one of his shoulders.

Fortunately, the bistro was almost empty. Yuuri quickly asked the waitress for two coffees and then sat at a table near the window. Besides them, only two men were sitting at the bar, watching some sports match on the TV.

In corner of his eye, Yuuri watched the mass of people moving alongside the street; rushing, talking to the phone, kids tottering around their parents when their mugs finally landed on the table between them.

Victor unglued his sight from the street, looking directly at him - and for the first time, Yuuri didn´t feel any threat or tense coming from them. Victor was just looking at him like he would probably look at everyone else.

"I wanted to ask you for some time now.. back then, on the bridge, how did you save Otabek?"

Victor took his cup to his lips, blew some air to the hot liquid and took a sip, and then his sight again fell on Yuuri.

"You probably didn´t notice it, but after you threw his Soul Gem away, it didn´t fell on the ground. Otherwise, Otabek would be long gone by now."

Yuuri shifted uncomfortably and beckoned him to continue.

"It fell on the sheet of a truck car. I traced it using my magic and found it."

"What kinds of magic do you possess?" asked Yuuri and carefully look around, but the waitress was cleaning the glasses and both customers were still occupied with television.

"You don´t need to know this," answered Victor calmly and again drunk a gulp of his coffee. Yuuri still hasn´t touched his cup and didn´t intend to do it.

"Okay, so I will ask another thing. When I put together all that you´ve just said.. You _knew_ the real truth about Soul Gems, didn´t you?"

Victor´s eyes again seemed sharp, but it some way also tired. It was a strange combination.

"I did," he replied simply.

Yuuri´s fists clenched under the table but he tried hard not to reveal the anger on his face.

"Why didn´t you tell anybody?" he asked.

Victor again came back to his coffee, his sight lost in the hot, dark liquid.

"I tried in the past," he answered after a while, "but no one believed me."

That surprised Yuuri. More and more it seemed to him that Victor sitting in front of him in his expensive suit and looking into his mug was probably a very different person before. For a moment he wondered what would everything be like if they had met in the past instead of the present.

"It´s not so much surprising if you think about it," continued Victor and finally put his empty cup back on the table. "Kyuubey doesn´t possess any emotions and human values are foreign to him. It would probably say getting your soul removed from the rest of your body is the appropriate price for granting a miracle."

Involuntarily, Yuuri gritted his teeth.

"And how do you think someone who used his only wish to save his loved one and failed would look at it? This whole system is sick! Maybe-"

 _Maybe was Otabek right all along_ , Yuuri finished the thought in silence.

He lifted his sight up and again found those crystal eyes looking at him.

"It was still a miracle," pointed out Victor. "Otabek could spend a lifetime taking care of that boy, but he would never wake up again. Kyuubey did fulfill his promise and turn the impossible into possible. It´s not like I am _defending_ that thing, but.. Normally, a miracle cost far more than just human life, but Kyuubey goes around the world selling them for that prize. It was pretty bold of Otabek, thinking that his miracle would be for free."

"He didn´t-" started Yuuri, louder, then he intended to and waitress curiously looked at him. He nuzzled at his chair until she returned to the dishes.

_What did Otabek expect, anyway? And if this was the prize, will he be able to pay up for it? Did Otabek regret his wish, eventually?_

"He won´t be able to ever go back, will he," he whispered more to himself than to everyone else when he finally realized what Victor was probably trying to tell him all the time.

"I told you already, Yuuri. Give up on Otabek," sighed Victor and then watched in surprise as Yuuri quickly stood up and pushed his chair from the table.

Without a word, Yuuri turned around and left. He knew tears would have to wait till home.

\--

The next day was his days off, so he decided to take a nap. Even without witch hunting, he was pretty much exhausted because of the nightmares that didn´t seem to stop.

He didn´t even close his eyes properly when again somebody knocked on the door. With a sigh, he yelled out 'Coming!' and walked to the door, yawning.

_Maybe it´s Yuuko again..?_

It wasn´t Yuuko.

Yuuri was surprised by a teenager impatiently tapping his feet at the front door.

It was Yuri and he quickly pushed his foot inside so Yuuri couldn´t close the door in instant.

"Hey," he said with a grin. "Is _Beka_ here?"

"N-no," pushed out of Yuuri but Yuri already squeezed next to him to the hallway and was looking around.

Yuuri froze next to the door, didn´t even shut them. He tried to evaluate the situation. Yuri was almost a stranger to him and Yuuri knew he could be extremely dangerous; but something in his mind was telling him that if the boy wanted to harm him, he would probably do it long ago. There were plenty of opportunities so far.

But right now Yuri was looking around the apartment like he belonged here, in simple worn-out jeans and t-shirt and looked just as innocent as any child. Suddenly, he turned around and snapped at Yuuri.

"What are you staring at?"

Yuuri´s mental image broke apart and he decided that the most effective defense would be the attack.

"Why did you come?"

Yuri turned back to him, hands in his pockets.

"I told you already. When Beka comes, tell him to meet me at the old church, next to the cemetery. It´s not far from here, he´ll know."

"What? Why?" Yuuri didn´t understand. This Yuri was like a completely different person.

" _Don´t_ ask," Yuri stepped in front of him, his emerald eyes boring into his own and although Yuuri tried to avert his sigh, he wasn´t successful. Yuri did look at him even more firmly and Yuuri felt that something melted inside of him. It didn´t take long and he was completely caught by Yuri - his pale, clear skin; his soft, slightly ruffled blonde hair and he realized that the boy in front of him is actually kind of pretty.

"There you go," murmured Yuri and finally took his sight away. Yuuri blinked; it was like he was under some spell for a minute there.

"I´ll tell him when I see him but don´t get your hopes high - he hasn´t been there in weeks," he replied.

"He will come today," declared Yuri simply, like it was already decided. "See ya," he walked to the door and left without turning back.

Yuuri just stood in the hallway, slightly confused. Did he just have a conversation with Otabek´s mortal enemy in _their_ apartment?

_What the actual fuck?_

Just like Yuri announced it, Otabek showed up a couple of hours later.

He didn´t look good - he was unshaved, had bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess; but his eyes, although visibly tired, were clear. Yuuri breathed out the air he was holding unwittingly - at least his friend didn´t look like a mad man anymore.

"Yuuri," he said simply, before sitting on the couch and tossing his bag under the table.

Yuuri walked through the living room and sat next to him as many times before. He didn´t ask where Otabek was. It wasn´t important.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, then opened them up again.

"Yuri was here today," he said like it wasn´t a big deal.

Otabek turned to him, his face visibly confused.

"Yuri? _That_ Yuri who tried to _kill_ me? And you let _him_ in?"

His voice again started to sound dangerously angry.

Yuuri didn´t move a muscle, just answered simply.

"Yes."

He watched as Otabek brown eyes were fluttering, running across his face, his lips moving, but without sound. To him, it had to look like Yuuri _betrayed_ him and sold him out to the mercy.

Yuuri tried to remain calm. He knew very well how unpredictable could Otabek get.

"He only wanted to send you a message. He wants to meet you today at the old church. Uhm.. that´s all. He didn´t try to hurt me, or anything.."

Otabek´s look was unbearable and Yuuri rather averted his sight.

"Say, Yuuri.. when he was here, does it seem to you in any time that you are somehow.. affected?" he asked in such calm and normal voice that Yuuri had to turn back to him. His mind flew back at the moment Yuri scanned him with his impossibly green eyes.

"I-," he started and his throat went dry when he realized he got kind of turned on by a kid probably more than a decade younger than him. "Now that you mentioned it, I felt.. something, but I didn´t realize it when-"

"Enchantment magic," interrupted him Otabek. "I knew it."

Yuuri mouth fell open. How come he didn´t notice it by himself?

"Don´t blame yourself, Yuuri," Otabek probably explained his surprise by himself. "I noticed it back then when we were fighting.. there was a time when he tried to do it with me, too. Although I doubt that it is his primary magic. I think it´s only secondary like it was with Phichit. Someone probably taught him how to perform it."

Yuuri finally found some words.

"Fuck, Otabek.. I am so sorry I let myself be charmed with him. God, I´m such a mess. Obviously, everything Phichit had learned me did come in vain, huh.."

"I´ll go there," interrupted him Otabek again. "The old church - he probably means the one next to the cemetery. Let´s listen what he´s got in his mind.. don´t worry, I´ll be careful," he noticed Yuuri´s concern. "I´m not his toy. I have something I want to say to him, too.."

Otabek grinned to himself and Yuuri shivered for no reason.

\--

Otabek left ten minutes ago and Yuuri put on his shoes and slipped from the door, too. Beka didn´t want him to go in case of another fight, but Yuuri had to know what was going to happen. Kyuubey was not here and Yuuri wasn´t sure how precisely would _he_ be able to help Otabek in case of serious combat - but decided to think about it when it actually happens.

Right now he followed Otabek on the streets, careful, not to be spotted. But the other man seemed to be thinking about something else and didn´t look back. He was walking pretty fast and Yuuri had to follow him with equal speed. Finally, Otabek came to the cemetery. He walked between the graves to the large, old church rising above them. Yuuri recognized the building although he hasn´t been inside of it before. The church was not open to the public anymore and mostly abandoned. The main door was slightly opened and Otabek slipped in. Several minutes after him, Yuuri managed to found a place next to the door, where he could remain hidden and still able to hear what was going on inside. He tilted his head more to the narrow gap in the entrance.

"So, I am here," he heard Otabek´s deep voice. He winced; it was closer than he imagined. Otabek had to stand pretty close to the door. "Why did you want to see me?"

"We probably took it from a wrong end, in the beginning," he heard Yuri´s voice, loud and clear, echoing a bit in the vast space. "Let´s talk for a bit."

"About what?" That was again Otabek´s.

"About _us_ ," implied the second voice. "It could take a while. Here, want some?"

Something hard fell on the ground and started rolling. Surprised Yuuri soon found out it was an apple since it came out through the half-opened door and fell to the grass.

He started breathing again only to hear dissatisfied 'Tsch!'

"You better start, I don´t have a whole day for you," growled Otabek and Yuuri could hear he is still standing at the same spot.

"I go to this church often," started the boy.

That surprised Yuuri. The other Yuri certainly didn´t seem very.. _religious._

"Nobody is coming here anymore.. they say it´s hunting on the cemetery.. true is, there are no ghosts, only one or two witches from time to time. Well, the good thing is nobody will stand here in the way."

Yuuri frowned. That sounded quite suspicious. But before he could think about it further, Yuri continued to talk.

"As you have probably realized, I am not from here. I was born in Russia, in a small city hidden in the mountains. Our house was of the one closest to the forest, just half-rotten shack pushed out to the edge of the city. Nobody wanted to have anything with Plisetsky´s. I don´t remember much from my first years.. only my father, always drunk and ready to beat me. Fortunately, he died shortly after my younger brother was born."

Yuuri shivered. How horrible childhood, compared to his own. He remembered only happy things from the times he was little. But Yuri continued. His voice was stable and loud like he was talking about somebody else and not him.

"I was only five when we lost our financial income. Father was using money from his parents but it stopped coming after his death. Mother was always complaining that her parents-in-law never liked her, anyway. But Kolja was just a baby and we all need to eat something. Mother tried to employ as a singer in a local tavern. She couldn´t find anything else and she thought she is good at it. But in reality, she was just average and everyone knew that. Sometimes, she managed to earn at least something for dinner, but most of the time it was futile. When also mother´s parents died suddenly, we inherited some money and I was hoping it will be better from now on. But we discovered that all that father left us were debts written on mom´s name. So most of the legacy was spend for that. I was seven that time and already started shoplifting so we had at least some groceries. Especially Kolja was still very little and always hungry. It hurt me just to look at him.

We managed to somehow survive till I was nine, with mom´s occasional income and what I managed to found on the street. I was stealing daily already. Sometimes, I got caught and beaten up.. but it was worth the smile Kolja gave me when I brought him a piece of bread. By the time I was ten, mother already gave up on everything. Similar to father, she also started to drink heavily and did nothing for us. I had to take care of Kolja who was only five that time, and each day it got just harder and harder. Thanks to the well at the end of the street, we at least had water, but.. it wasn´t enough. We needed to eat. I talked to her, I begged her to find a job, I cried, Kolja cried, but nothing helped. Mother was just lying on the bed all day, more drunk than sober and half the time didn´t even _recognize_ me. That was the point I started hating her. I didn´t care about myself anymore, but Kolja.. he didn´t deserve that kind of life. That wasn´t life anymore. That was suffering."

Yuuri closed his eyes and leaned against the cold stone behind his back. He imagined two skinny, dirty kids in ragged clothes, living in a small city somewhere in distant, vast Russia. Their mother didn´t care about them and nobody else did. It had to be a very, very tough world for a barely teenage boy.

Otabek wasn´t saying anything, so Yuri continued talking.

"Shortly after my eleventh´s birthday came a notice from the executor. Mother was already very long behind the schedule of payments for that shack we should call home. She didn´t pay rent for more than a year. Eventually, we were given a week to move out. That was when I almost collapsed. Kolja was barely six and mother was addictive. Eventually, I did the only thing I could do. I knew nobody would hire me even if I´d beg them - the locals always spat on me whenever I showed up on the street. There was only one option left. I stole mother´s old make-up to make me look little bit older, the best clothes I had and went to stand on the street. We were living in the worst part of the city full of prostitutes. I was well aware that my chances were low since none of the locals would want me, but fortunately, there always were lot of foreigners in the city due to the big wire factory. Till this day I wonder _where_ I got the strength to stand and wait there, fully realizing that somebody would be filthy enough to get an ass of sweet, innocent, teenage child. I wasn´t afraid of pain or humiliation - I was used to that already. All I hoped was just to get over with it quickly and get paid front. I just couldn´t - _couldn´t_ look anymore on Kolja´s retracted cheeks and sad, always hungry eyes."

Yuuri behind the door did his best not to fell on his knees and start crying or vomiting, or both. He just couldn´t imagine how _much_ of the despair it had to be when eleven years old kid decided to become a prostitute just to get a little bit of food. And not even for himself - he did all of that for his little brother. Yuuri thought of every time he secretly threw out the lunch his mother made him for school because he didn´t want to get fat or just simply wasn´t hungry, and his stomach twisted achingly.

He winced by the sound of Otabek coughing, but he still didn´t say anything. Yuuri somehow felt the worst part of the story was still ahead of them.

"So I stood up there.. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was cold and I had only a -shirt and wet hair since I tried to at least clean up myself a little bit. I remember other prostitutes, all looking at me, while I kept waiting and waiting.. until finally one man came to me and scanned my whole body with his eyes. He was so much taller than me. He asked how old I am and I said thirteen.. Then he nodded, looked around and pointed his hand to the car. I didn´t like him a bit. When I was slowly walking away from the sidewalk, away from our house, away from Kolja, something inside me.. broke. I started to feel afraid and stopped myself. It was almost night already and although part of me was aware that this all is just a play, a way to get some money.. I was still too much of a child. He went ahead, opened the car door and turned around to wait for me. And then.. I suddenly spotted Kyuubey. It surprised me. Pure white cat in this part of the city? But what surprised me even more, was that I clearly heard it _talking_. That cat promised to fulfill me any wish I wanted to. It sounded so crazy.

Like I said, I was too much child back then. In a blink of an eye, I was already gone, running away after that cat; I _had_ to catch it. That man started yelling but fortunately gave up on pursuing me. Finally, behind the corner, I caught Kyuubey. He said he saw a lot of potential within me.. and that he can make miracles happen. It was unbelievable. My first thought was of food, plenty of food; but I knew better than anyone that every food will be eaten and disappears eventually. I had to think about the way how to use my wish for a better life of everyone - Kolja, me, mom.. I took Kyuubey home. Kojla couldn´t saw it, he thought it was some kind of new game I made out."

Yuuri had to remind himself to breathe properly as he was eager to see inside, to see Otabek´s reaction or _anything_ ; but eventually he just carefully shifted positions and kept listening.

"I asked Kyuubey to make it so people would think my mother is a great singer. That way, she would be saved from her addiction and she could earn some money. I thought it was a great plan. But of course, I was only eleven that time. What could I have known.

It worked out for a while. Mother himself believed she found her talent after all and for a couple of years, the life had been well. Not so much for me who had to hunt witches instead but luckily, I learn fast. But like any enchantment magic, it couldn´t last forever. It was great delusion in combat, but I was just a kid and my magic was pretty much average. By the time I was thirteen - for real this time - the charm was so weak already that almost nobody went to her concerts anymore. She started to see it too, and again returned to alcohol. Moreover, the winter was particularly strong that year and Kolja became ill. We didn´t have any money for the doctor of course, but I did what I could to keep him alive. At my fourteenth birthday, I woke up and realized that mother was gone. She had taken everything valuable, most of the money and left. She didn´t even leave a fucking _note_ or something. If I didn´t steal some food again, we wouldn´t probably make it. But the worst part was Kolja´s illness. It was getting just worse and worse; he coughed instantly and just lied in bed, trembling with cold. One night he had a terrible fever and almost started to hallucinate. The house we lived in - if you could call it a house - was freezing inside and the wind blew through all windows and doors. His body wasn´t strong enough to endure such conditions. In despair, I decided to visit an old lady on the other side of the town that was skilled at preparing home medicaments. The last time I saw Kolja he was lying under those shitty blankets, trembling, sweating, his eyes like glass. I´m not even sure he recognized me. I kissed him on the forehead and said I´ll be right back. Luckily, she gave me something for him, pills against the fever and even some money. I rushed home the fastest I could, my heart beating like a crazy; in my head, I already saw him back healthy and smiling over the food I was finally able to properly buy him.. However as I was approaching our house, I could already saw flames licking the walls and smell burnt. My home turned into inferno."

Yuuri winced. How much of the horror Yuri had to witness, and survive?

"I don´t remember much from after that; I probably fell on the ground and started yelling. Kolja was nowhere to be seen and I hadn´t had the strength to look for his corpse in all that ash. He probably only wanted to get warmer and flipped over a candle or something.. By the time firefighters came, the house burnt down and I was already gone. From the nearby hill, I watched how the roof sunk down. There remained nothing and no one that would connect me to that place anymore. I turned away, left and never came back again.

And there you have it. I wished for somebody else, hoping it would save everyone and everything. Instead, I am living and my poor brother died, not even ten years old. His whole life was just hunger and suffering. How is this fair?"

Yuuri heard some steps, winced and realized Yuri is probably walking inside the church.

"Miracles aren´t for free, Beka. If you wish for hope, an equal amount of despair arises and spreads to the world. That´s the way it all goes back to zero and the balance of this world remains maintained."

Finally, Yuuri heard deep, but sort of impatient Otabek´s voice.

"Why are you telling me all this?"

Yuuri moved even closer to the door. He was also curious about the reason.

"Because even though I am younger, you remind me a lot. You too used your wish for somebody else and suffered because of that. But I came to the phase when I am already over it. That´s why I decided to use my magic purely for myself. Sure, I´ll always miss Kolja as you would probably always regret that your wish didn´t work out eventually.. but it´s all past now. You have to take a step forward and start living as _you_ want."

Yuuri heard Otabek shifting on his position, unchanged from the moment he stepped to the church.

"Something still seems odd to me, Yura."

That was the first time Yuuri heard Otabek calling Yuri like that. It sounded oddly familiar and Yuuri missed to see the expression on young man´s face.

"If you are caring only about yourself, as you declared, why did you even bother telling me this story? It looks to me like you are sort of _worried_ about me."

His voice sounded suspicious but Yuuri knew Otabek had full right to be one. After all, Yuri tried to kill him not so long ago.

He could hear how Yuri breathed in sharply.

"It´s exactly as I´ve told you before. Mistakes were made, and we already paid too much. How about put regrets aside and start over? I realized how stupid I was, but you still have a long way to go. Maybe it´s time to admit that not everything is as you wanted it to be, but you are still living. And you can finally live your life as you want to. Let´s say it´s hard looking at you - I feel like I should help you."

Otabek took a couple of steps more inside of the church and Yuuri had to listen more carefully now if he wanted to catch all the details.

"I had the wrong idea about you, Yura. I must say this made a lot of things clearer.. but I have to repeat myself. I _don´t_ regret using my wish for somebody else. Got it? Jean got healed, and I´m happy he is alive and well. With this power, I can still save other people and _that´s_ what counts for me. And what about you? How did you get those apples? Let me guess - enchantment magic? Like the one you used on Yuuri today?"

Yuuri winced by hearing his name but still didn´t dare to peek inside. It turned pretty cold outside and the stone stairs were hard against his bottom.

"You fucking idiot!" he suddenly heard Yuri´s voice, angry and too familiar. "What are you even thinking? We are _witch hunters_! Regular humans are not us - how could they _possibly_ understand you?"

Yuuri winced again when he realized the one Yuri was talking about, is probably he himself. It was true. He hadn´t had his soul removed, after all.

"I will fight my own way like I always did," replied Otabek with a deep voice. "I have nothing more to say to you. If you don´t like it, you can always come and try to kill me again. Till then, _Yurachka_."

Otabek turned on his heel and Yuuri realized he is walking out from the church. In the last second, he managed to jump somewhere into the tall grass. Otabek stepped out of the door and a few minutes after, Yuri went out too. He didn´t chase after Otabek although his silhouette was still visible at the cemetery. Yuuri could now see that the younger man was holding a paper bag full of apples. Yuri stood a while on the steps until he snorted out something.

"What an idiot."

Yuuri watched as his slender figure vanished between the graves, the paper bag bobbing by each of his steps.

\--

(Yuri)

Yuri was walking aimlessly down the streets, apples heavy in his arms. He found a nice park bench and decided to sit and.. think a little. Otabek was sure incredibly stubborn but it wasn´t as if his current behavior didn´t have any reason. He sighed and just when he took the first bite, someone tall appeared in corner of his eye and sat next to him.

He yelped from surprise until he realized he had seen the man before. It was that tall guy in a grey suit and silver hair. Victor or what was his name.

"May I join you for a bit?" he asked, his sight distant and voice dull. It sounded like he didn´t even want to be here or what.

"Well you sat here already, so what fucking difference does it make," shrugged Yuri and took and another bite from the apple.

"In little less than a month, Walpurgis comes. Maybe we should agree on the details."

Yuri narrowed his eyes. This differed from the last words Victor spoke to him.

"What about _him_?"

"You were right, he´s useless," replied Victor coldly. "I believe we are capable to do it by ourselves; we are both veterans, after all."

Yuri found this attitude strange. He didn´t trust Victor, not at all; but he didn´t have many choices, either - no witch hunter could go against Walpurgis alone and hope to defeat it.

 _If you are talking about Otabek, I have information that could be useful to both of you_ , echoed a familiar voice from somewhere and Kyuubey appeared, sitting in a safe distance from them.

"Some nerve you´ve got!" spat Yuri, tossed away the apples and partially transformed, daggers everpresent in his hands.

 _Well if I´m not welcomed here.._ Kyuubey spun his tail, carefully looking at them.

"Spit it out," growled Yuri.

_The depletion of Otabek Altin begun far sooner as I expected. He´s using too much magic; moreover, he started to carry a curse within himself._

"And _whose_ fault do you think it is?" asked Yuri and felt his desire to stab the animal risen.

 _At this rate, it might become an issue even before Walpurgis comes. Stay alert,_ replied the animal.

"What are you even talking about?" Yuri stood up and directed on his daggers to Kyuubey. "It doesn´t make any sense!"

 _Why don´t you try to ask him instead of me?_ Pink eyes looked directly at Yuri. _Although I think you know the answer already, don´t you, Victor Nikiforov?_ he turned his head to the other man.

Yuri just now realized that the other witch hunter is still there. He kept sitting at the bench, wearing that unimpressed, empty expression, like he didn´t really care about anything.

 _I thought so_ , declared Kuyubey after a long silence from Victor´s side. _I would be very interested in how you obtained that information. Don´t tell me that-_

"Begone," spat Victor suddenly, his voice so full of disdain that Yuri had to turn around and looked at him in both surprise and disbelief.

Kyuubey quickly jumped into the shadows and vanished.

"Hey!" started Yuri but Victor pulled him back to the bench by his shoulder.

"Killing it doesn´t solve anything."

"I _know_ that, just.. ah, fuck it all," Yuri stabbed one of his daggers into the ground with frustration and detransformed. The dagger vanished in bright green light.

"What was he talking about?" he asked while crouching and picking up all the apples back to the bag.

Victor sighed and looked away.

"His Soul Gem became too tainted, probably. If he won´t purify it soon, the damage would become irreparable."

Yuri´s stomach twisted; he remembered well how unpleasant it could get when you have to reach the very bottom of your magical energy.

Then he remembered how Otabek tossed him his Grief Seed when they met in that black-white labyrinth, and the ache disappeared and was replaced with dull nothing. Incomprehensible, he felt even worse now.

He gritted his teeth.

_He really is an idiot._

\--

Yuuri somehow managed to get home before Otabek and just sat on the sofa with some magazine pretending to be reading, when he heard a key in the lock. He tried to adjust his fast breathing in the last seconds until Otabek came from the hallway to the living room.

"Hey," he welcomed him quietly.

"Hey," replied Otabek, clearly in thoughts.

"Sorry, this is actually your bed I´m sitting in.. I´ll move," said Yuuri and started to get up.

"I don´t care, Yuuri," interrupted him the other man and sat on the smaller couch.

"Ugh.. okay then," answered Yuuri and put the magazine aside. "How did it go, if I may ask?" he said and ignored the feeling of guilt that stung him somewhere inside.

"Well.. there is not much to talk about. He didn´t try to kill me this time," declared Otabek and his lips crooked in something Yuuri wasn´t sure he could call a smile.

_So this was everything Otabek was willing to say to him? This was everything important to him?_

Yuuri bent his head down.

_It´s now or never._

"Otabek.. I think you should give Yuri a second chance."

He watched as Otabek´s gaze slid on him; his deep brown eyes were scanning his own, his face, everything at him. They were so much different than Phichit´s.

"You can´t possibly mean this seriously," finally replied Otabek, just with a hint of uncertainty in his voice, sitting stiffly on his spot.

_I thought so._

"If not.. then at least let me help you. Stop pushing me away. I am your _friend_ , Otabek. I _care_ about you. It hurts me to watch you suffer. Even if you say the opposite, you _know_ it´s just not true. You can´t continue hurting himself just because you don´t have to feel it anymore."

Otabek let out a short, pitched, broken sound that should have been probably a laugh.

"And according to _you_ , what would help me?"

Otabek took off his ring and transferred it into the Soul Gem, then shoved it Yuuri almost in the face. The crystal was faintly glowing, its bottom was black steadily changing in the dark brown. Yuuri´s heart clenched when he realized that just like Otabek itself, his soul already started detaching from life, too. That weak, slightly shimmering light was more than evident proof of it.

"Now when I´m changed into _this_ , how could _anything_ possibly help me?" whispered Otabek, his fingers clutching to his Soul Gem, trembling.

Yuuri wanted to take his hand, reassure him it will be okay; tell him that everything will be good eventually like he did multiple times before; but something inside him snatched away from this idea. He didn´t know _this_ Otabek. He was like a total stranger to him.

He felt so, so helpless.

"I wish you would come back to me, Otabek," he whispered and his sight fell to the ground when he couldn´t take the look on that fading brown crystal anymore. "Don´t you remember how much of a good time we spend together? You, me and Phichit? Did that mean nothing to you?"

Otabek kept silent for a while until he replied.

"That´s all past now. It´s pointless to think about it now."

Yuuri gulped down, his throat almost painfully dry.

"I want you to be _yourself_ again," he pushed out of himself so silently that in the first second he didn´t even know if Otabek managed to hear that.

"Then..," started the other man equally silent, "why don´t _you_ fight them?" Otabek looked directly at him, his eyes glistening, but Yuuri winced with fear. There was something sick hidden in Otabek´s expression; in the way he was watching him, in the way he was talking to him. For a moment there, Yuuri felt like a small, blind prey in front of something huge, terrifying and _inhuman_ , something..

He couldn´t identify it, but he definitely wasn´t feeling safe.

Yuuri gulped again.

"You are just a normal, regular human.. how can you even _think_ you can possibly understand my feelings? Can you imagine the pain when you get your soul removed from the rest of your body? Do you wake up every night, sweating and clutching onto that small, glowing crystal, as I do? Do you?!"

Otabek was standing at that point already, screaming at Yuuri, his face ugly and twisted.

"So why don´t you try it on your own, Yuuri? Kyuubey told me - apparently your talent is so immense you could deal with witches in couple hits. You can´t even imagine how I have to struggle every single _fucking_ night! Yet you dare to tell me how _I_ should live my life while sitting at warm, comfy couch all day? If you are really trying to help me, why don´t you try walking in my shoes first?"

Yuuri could only gaze at those eyes darting into his. That mixture of fury, sadness, and disdain was so overwhelming that it felt like Otabek just literally punched him.

That would probably hurt less, though.

"I-", he finally dared.

"Don´t even start," interrupted him Otabek. "Of course you wouldn´t do that. What kind of fool would give up on his humanity just out of _pity_?"

"It´s _not_ pity!" protested Yuuri but he was quickly put in silence by those crazy, glistening eyes glaring at him, too close to his face.

"I´ll tell you just this. You could be almighty if you wanted to, but so far you did _nothing_ but kept watching _me_ suffering. You really are the worst, Katsuki."

With those words, Otabek moved to the doors and yanked them to open.

"Don´t follow me," he said and dedicated him one last look, his eyes burning with disgust.

"No," pushed out of Yuuri involuntarily, watching the door close itself and hearing quick steps running down the stairs.

He somehow slid from the sofa to the floor, his chest clutching.

He again felt like the air was too thin, and his breathing started to physically hurt.

Otabek´s last words stabbed through him like a knife. He never thought that he would hear something like that from him. From Otabek he shared his past two years with. Otabek, who was helpful and supportive and generous and reliable.

He could still feel his last gaze; those eyes, icy-cold, stabbing him through. As if Yuuri, his former friend, now changed to his mortal enemy. As if he was something filthy that disgusted him, that wasn´t worth even of a proper look. Otabek´s last gaze literally burned him on his skin, he was suddenly itching everywhere and Yuuri felt like he was about to fell apart.

He reflexively hugged himself like that could prevent it from happening; and started to cry, loud and ugly and _helpless._

\--

(Otabek, later that same evening)

Only after his axe finished cutting the unalluring mass of flesh on the ground, he managed to at least found some peace. Or, he was forced to, to be more honest. The tiredness gradually deepened and his senses dulled. When barrier fell apart he fell on his knees, panting heavily. Only then he noticed his left thigh almost cut in half, bleeding rapidly.

"Fuck," he growled and started to heal it.

In the middle of it, he was interrupted by silent, but steady steps approaching him.

"At this point, even you should be able to admit it. You can´t afford to waste your magic anymore."

A tall man with silver hair appeared in front of him.

Otabek narrowed his eyes. He hasn´t interacted much with Victor before, and last time he saw him, Victor wanted to get rid of him, too. But again, it was this very man who saved him after the truth about Soul Gems was revealed. At this point, it was hard to define their relationship.

"What do you want, CEO," he finally growled and grabbed his axe with one hand while the other was kept above the wound and continued healing. The wound was slowly closing itself in the weak brown light.

"You should focus only on witches instead of familiars. Your Soul Gem is already at its limit and needs to purify. No wonder it takes you so long to heal that injury. Here, use this."

Something was tossed through the air and with a ting, Grief Seed landed next to Otabek´s right side.

He just looked at it and then moved his sight back to the man in a grey coat.

"Yeah, right. Take help from someone who tried to kill me before.. sounds _trustworthy_ ," he answered with sardonic voice.

Otabek watched as Victor narrowed his eyes and straightened his back.

"Don´t be a fool. You are in no position for questioning others right now."

Maybe he didn´t even intend to hide it in the first place, but Otabek immediately sensed a thread behind those words.

"I won´t accept anything from anyone who uses humans as live baits. I´ve decided on that long ago. It seems I´m kind of different witch hunter than the rest of you."

The thigh was finally healed and he slowly got up on his feet, stumbling a little.

Otabek grinned on Victor and kicked the Grief Seed away.

Oh, how much did he enjoy watching those blue eyes widened in shock, although Victor tried to hide it instantly.

"I don´t need any reward for my work. I use my magic to help others," he declared and nictated at Victor to see if his pupils could enlarge even more, and perhaps bring up a flush on that pretty face.

_God, I really am beyond salvation now._

"Then, you are going to die. Do you realize that?" replied Victor calmly and much to Otabek´s dissatisfaction regained his composure.

"I know. Serves me right, eh? At least I will be no longer a puppet in Kyuubey´s pawns just like the rest of you," he answered back, feeling as his lips widen in a crazy smile.

"I see you don´t believe me a bit when I say I want to save you. Why is that?" asked Victor suddenly, the hint of curiosity in his voice and that suddenly pull Otabek out of his thoughts.

"Don´t play innocent," he managed to say and suppressed the familiar ache spreading in his insides. Last days, it was only getting worse. "I can see you are a _liar_. Your eyes betrayed you. You too had already given up on everything."

He could literally felt Victor´s gaze bored into him, his icy-blue eyes stabbing through his skin and muscles all the way inside.

"Like this, you only keep _Yuuri_ suffering."

Otabek winced when he remembered his last words to Yuuri. The feelings of guilt bit into him, harsh and cold.

_How could I say such things to him.._

_I really am nothing but an idiot._

Otabek let out a short, broken laugh.

"And what do you have with him?"

" _Everything_ ," answered Victor instantly, his sight hardened even more. " _Everything_ I do is for _him_."

He stepped closer until he was only a meter away from Otabek standing against him.

"I think it´s time to stop horsing around. Even in this pathetic state, you can still distinguish reality from the lies. You were right; I don´t want to save you. I just don´t want to see Yuuri suffering even more than he is now. And since you are so eager to die anyway, we can end it right here and now."

He clapped his hands and in the flash of clear blue light appeared a gun.

Victor reached his hand and put the barrel directly on Otabek´s forehead.

"Goodbye, Otabek Altin."

Otabek just stood there, frozen, feeling the cold steel on his skin.

He started just now to comprehend that Victor was utterly serious about killing him like he was some redundant pest standing between him and Yuuri.

He growled but his legs refused to move. Instead, he just glared into Victor´s eye, hoping he would at least keep hunting him in his dreams.

None of them noticed a dagger that stabbed into Victor´s straight hand; he hissed and immediately had to retreat.

Other daggers whizzed through the air and before any of them could react, he already noticed a familiar figure in the corner of his eye.

"What are you waiting for? Go away, now!" Yuri was yelling and running to them at full speed. Victor growled and tried to dodge the attacks but Yuri was impossibly fast and when another dagger stabbed his leg, he screamed from frustration, detransformed, and his gun vanished.

Otabek slowly looked around the scene and decided the best would be retreat, at least for now. Yuri was narrowing his eyes at Victor, daggers dangerously close to his abdomen and peeping on him from under his fringe with one crystal clear green eye.

Otabek didn´t know why did the boy suddenly decided to switch sides, or whether Victor possesses healing magic or not, and he didn´t particularly care.

Nothing was important anymore.

He slowly faltered away, completely indolent to Yuri´s concerned look and Victor´s sleeve drenched with blood by now. His legs were wobbly, his breathing hurt and the ache within him started to be almost unbearable.

He didn´t know where to go, he just knew he had to continue.

Without looking back, he stumbled to the night.

\--

(Yuuri, the same evening)

_Otabek!_

Only silence came back to him as an answer.

_Still nothing.._

Exhausted, Yuuri sat heavily on the park bench. After Otabek left and his anxiousness finally let him go, Yuuri´s legs somehow independently moved him out of the building to look for him. Yuuri already witnessed Otabek´s meltdown once and he wasn´t even sure what could possibly happen this time. He tried to look everywhere, but it was pointless. Yuuri at least tried to contact him telepathically, but this also proved to be unsuccessful and his head already started to hurt.

Yuuri just now registered he somehow got into city park again. It was almost dark already, Otabek was nowhere to be found and even his stamina started to hit its limits. He hit the wood with his fists and almost howled from frustration. He couldn´t care less if anyone is around. Otabek´s face appeared in front of his eyes; the look in his eyes was disgusted and crazy. Some ugly part of his consciousness started to question if Otabek _really_ wanted to be saved in the first place. Considering his actions and words, then..

"Fuck!" Yuuri again shouted in the emptiness around him.

_What should I do?!_

_Do you hate me, too?_

A sudden, childish voice entered his mind and Yuuri breathed out from surprise. His eyes quickly managed to found a small silhouette peeping from the nearby lamp. Yuuri gritted his teeth by involuntarily remembering how many nights did he spend with him and Phichit. He sighed. Yes, Kyuubey did horrible things to everybody, but in the end, he was still the most powerful creature around.

"Does it matter?" He answered eventually with a quiet voice. "Would it help to save Otabek?"

_Of course not. That is beyond my powers._

Kyuubey calmly approached to him, jumped and sat to the bench too. Yuuri wasn´t sure if it was physically possible but his depression deepened even more.

_If even Kyuubey is helpless.. what can I do?_

"Kyuubey..," he started with a weak voice, "you said that I have tremendous potential for becoming witch hunter, right?"

_I never lie. So yes, it is true. Although tremendous is not nearly enough to describe the power of it._

It wasn´t like Yuuri now completely trusted every word from Kyuubey, but despite this, a small fire of hope lit up somewhere within him.

"You must be kidding."

_I am not. To be honest I can´t even fully imagine your power as a witch hunter. It would probably be indescribable. Maybe also the strongest of all._

"But.. why _me_ of all people? Why is Otabek weaker than other witch hunters and have to suffer because of it? And now are you saying that I could become a _god_ or something?"

The animal averted its sight and leaned its head down.

_Yuuri. It is not that I have an explanation for all of this. Otabek made his wish come true and he would do it even if you had become witch hunter before him. That had nothing to do with you. As I said, here my explanation ends. For all I know, such immense power shouldn´t even be possible in theory. You could wish literally for anything and I will make that happen. It wouldn´t be just about granting a miracle - your wish could very well bend the laws of the universe itself. Really, I also would like to know what makes you so special in comparison to the others._

Yuuri frowned. It sure sounded too good to be true.

"Wait. Does that mean I would be _stronger_ than you, eventually?"

Kyuubey didn´t raise his head.

 _Yes, you would_.

"But in that case.. I mean if really _anything_ is possible, then I could just somehow turn Otabek back to normal, right? Maybe breaking his contract or.."

Yuuri´s breathing became too fast, his chest jumping up and down. He almost had to grab the bench to assure this is not a dream. So many possibilities came now to mind.

 _Bringing Otabek back would be child´s play for you_ , Kyuubey interrupted his thoughts.

Yuuri gulped down the thought pushing from his brain out. Right. First things first. Saving Otabek was now the top priority. Yuuri couldn´t bear to lose another friend.

_So? Do you have your wish ready? A wish to trade your very soul for?_

Kyuubey again turned back to him, his pink eyes glowing in the fade light of street lamps.

Yuuri nodded.

"Yes. I am ready. Kyuubey, I want to become a witch h-"

Suddenly, Yuuri´s mouth stopped forcibly. It was barely a couple of seconds but he was aware of his tongue freezing, his lips still partially opened, but no voice was coming from them. Then he heard a couple of quick gunshots and then, just as suddenly as it came, the world was moving again and he could feel a cold breeze on his face. His sight fell on the right and he involuntarily screamed from the shock. Instead of Kyuubey, there was just a mass of flesh and the bloody puddle was quickly approaching him. In a flash, Yuuri was standing already, still watching in disbelief what remained of the animal. From the left, he heard a sound of something metal falling on the ground and rapid steps towards his direction.

Victor suddenly appeared in front of him and before Yuuri could say anything, he grasped him firmly by his arms.

"Victor!" he breathed out in pain. Victor was strong and he was keeping Yuuri in place like an iron trap. "You didn´t have to kill him! Ouch! It kinda hurts, so if you could-"

"Why.. just _why_ do you keep sacrificing yourself, Yuuri?"

"Huh?"

Yuuri finally stopped to try getting away from the grasp and looked into Victor´s face. His hair were floating behind him, exposing his pale, flawless skin without a single scratch or beauty mark. His eyes were big, bigger than Yuuri had ever seen, shockingly blue and.. sad?

"Don´t you ever think about people dear to you? You said it yourself, right? That you cherish your family and friends.. Did it ever occur to you that if you died, there would be people mourning about you? Do you really think there is nobody who cares about you? Who is protecting and loving you? Yuuri, just stop already! Stop putting your life on the line! I´m begging you!"

Yuuri just watched in shock as the tears pushed out from Victor´s eyes, rolled down his cheeks and dripped from his chin. Victor let his arms go, but immediately he leaned down and embraced him, too tight and too hard; so Yuuri could feel the warmth of his body and how were his shoulders trembling from silent cry.

As if.. he had felt it already, before.. before what?

"Victor.." whispered Yuuri in the night, "have we met before?”

"I-" Victor´s voice sounded husky, "Yuuri, I- "

"You won´t tell me?" asked Yuuri again.

Victor finally let him go and stood up straight, his face all wet from the tears. He quickly wiped his cheeks out and pushed the hair away from his face.

Yuuri looked at him.

The man standing in front of him was trembling, shaking in his smooth grey coat. He looked utterly lost and broken.

This Victor was so much _different_ from the man Yuuri accidentally bumped almost a year ago that it almost frightened him.

"I´m sorry, Victor," he heard himself saying. "I have to look for Otabek.. if I don´t, he will surely.. I must go. I´m sorry."

Yuuri slowly turned around.

"Yuuri!" Victor almost choked on his words. "It´s too late for him.. don´t go.."

"I have to, Victor. I´m sorry," replied Yuuri and ran away from that place.

He heard some strangled cries but he was too afraid to look back.

_Just what is happening to this world?!_

_If I am right this is already your second attempt to kill me. Although you know that it is impossible, you keep trying. In my home planet, we cannot afford such a waste._

Kyuubey jumped from behind the bushes back to the bench to the mutilated torso of his own, leaned down and started to ate it.

"Gross," growled Victor and finally stopped looking the way Yuuri left. He smoothed his hair and brushed away invisible dust from his coat.

 _It´s proteins_ , declared Kyuubey after gulping down the flesh. _However, your pointless killing of my bodies helped me to see the way how do you fight.. and what type of magic do you possess._

Pink eyes darted onto the tall figure.

_Time-manipulating magic, am I right? Very rare, indeed.. and considering the amount of information you already revealed to me.. I would say that you are definitely not from this timeline._

Victor didn´t move from his spot.

"I know everything about you. Who you are and what are you planning.. everything."

_Well, that explains a lot. Are you so much determined to change the fate of Yuuri Katsuki?_

"I am. And you will not use him as you wish. Remember that, _Incubator_ ," said Victor with implication on the last word, carefully putting his hand in his back pocket, the fingers touching the cold metal.

_We will see about that, Victor Nikiforov._

But before the bullets could once again shred the animal to pieces, Kyuubey was already gone.

\--

(Otabek, the same evening)

"There you are!"

Otabek turned his head to the right and sighed mentally. He just came here and wanted to spend at least some time in quiet, before.. well, he was pretty determined to do this and he wasn´t expecting the company. And certainly not _this_ one.

"What´re you doing?"

"Nothing," he replied with a real sigh this time but didn´t move. He was sitting at the guard on the city bridge and kept looking at the sky full of stars. The water rushing beneath him was calming him for some reason and keeping his mind away from the growing pain inside of him.

"Do you mind if I stay here?"

Otabek sighed again and forced himself to look in front of him. Yuri Plisetsky, of course. _Fucking_ persistent.

"Why did you come?" he growled and wanted to grab his axe, just for sure, but then remembered that he is in civilian clothes. Lately, even transforming became too painful to endure, so he had been sitting here for the past hours, just enjoying the peaceful night without witches and annoying questions. Just one night. And then it will be over. Was it too much to ask?

"Easy there. I didn´t come here as witch hunter. See?"

Yuri raised his hands and turned around. He even took off his hoodie to show that he isn´t hiding some daggers under it. His torso popped up under the fabric and Otabek deliberately looked away. But he couldn´t fail to notice Yuri´s flat stomach or his loose hair from his haircut. It seemed longer now and what was worse, it suited him.

Fuck.

"So," started Yuri by leaning on the guard as nothing happened, but not too close to Otabek, "I think we both agree that this is no longer sustainable. Why don´t you just tell me what´s going on? Maybe I could help with something."

Otabek´s lips crooked in a smile.

Help.

Maybe several months ago, Yura. But now is too late.

"Is something funny?" Otabek noticed green eyes staring at him.

"Not really. I just thought about how everything could be different if we met sooner. But that doesn´t matter now. And you probably can´t help me, since.. I don´t really care about it anymore. Sometimes, I don´t even remember clearly what was on my mind when I trade my soul for nothing. Somehow.. it´s not making sense anymore."

"Hey, Otabek. I understand that you´ve been through horrible stuff. Me too, actually, I´ve told you. But-"

"No," interrupted him Otabek. "You don´t even understand. Earlier tonight, I killed two women directly in the subway just because they were offending their boyfriends or whatsoever.. I don´t really remember that, my mind went blank in the middle. I realized that if this is the world I was trying to protect.. fuck it. Let witches shred it to pieces."

"What is with you?" flew out of Yuri, his green eyes wide and scanning his face. "Don´t tell me that-"

"Look," Otabek shoved him his Soul Gem almost in the face. "Have you ever seen it so dark?"

"What the fuck, Beka! This is horrible!" Yuri pushed the crystal away. "Why are you torturing himself? This must hurt like fuck.. Hold on, I´ll get you a Grief Seed in a sec-"

Yuri slipped his ring from his finger and transformed it into the Soul Gem.

"I think it´s too late," declared Otabek calmly. Yuri looked at his Soul Gem one more time and watched with horror as the darkness inside the crystal started to swirl.

"You said once.. everything in this world must be balanced, right? The same goes for hope and despair. Now I´ve finally understood it. Yes, I made a wish, became a witch hunter and saved some people.. but my heart started to fill with hatred, loneliness, and betrayal instead.. I pushed everyone from me away, even the ones who did nothing but try their best to help me.."

"Beka! Hold it together, for fucks sake!" Yuri was now almost screaming, his eyes jumping between the entity in the crystal and the empty brown eyes glued to that same crystal.

"When you wish for someone´s happiness, someone else must be cursed in exchange. _That_ is the true essence of witch hunter´s life. If only I realized it sooner, Yura.. I was so, so stupid."

Breaking of glass could be heard and finally, the Soul Gem ripped open, the darkness making its way to the night. Yuri screamed from surprise and had to jump away from the wave of hot wind spreading from the crystal.

"Bekaaa!" He yelled to the night, keeping his face hidden before radiating heat, trying to see something, anything through the darkness. But the wind was too strong and he had to retreat.

In the seconds between his Soul Gem breaking and the feeling of losing consciousness Otabek dedicated one last look to Yuri, slowly leaned back, let go of the guard and in a heartbeat fell in the cold water.

_At least this.. this went like I wanted to._

And after that, he didn´t feel anything more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Close to the end of the chapter, Otabek mentions he kills two women in the subway, but seems not to be able to recollect the memory properly. That subway scene was described before in the drabble I wrote by finishing this chapter: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16431023


	9. I Won´t Allow That to Happen

_Fuck! I can´t see a thing!_

Yuri wasn´t sure what was going on. In one second, he was talking to Otabek and in the next one he was almost thrown away of the bridge they were standing on by a shock wave. Otabek sounded like he completely gave up on life and what was worse, Yuri recognized that unpleasant, familiar heat which started to spread around.

_A witch.. right now? From where? How come I didn´t feel its presence before?_

Almost painfully, Yuri forced himself to open up his eyes only to see labyrinth slowly building around him.

_This is bad! And where the fuck is Otabek? It´s like he vanished completely!_

He transferred within a second and his sight accidentally fell back to the water rushing under him. It was deep night already, but thanks to his eyes of a witch hunter he quickly spotted a body almost completely drowned in the water.

There were no doubts.

"Beka!" shouted Yuri and jumped from the bridge directly in the flow beneath him. The strength of the hit was enormous and the water filling out his mouth and nose felt terribly cold. Yuri gritted his teeth and grabbed the body firmer, already looking for the nearest bank. But Otabek was pretty heavy and Yuri had to spend a lot of effort just to keep both of them above the water level. He could still hear the distant noises of the witch growing and the maze building itself. The situation seemed to be only getting worse.

"Give me your hand."

The monotonous voice broke through Yuri´s thoughts and he lifted up his sight in a surprise. It was Victor, standing at the bank, extending his arm towards them.

"Why?" asked Yuri and cursed when his mouth again went full of dirty water.

"We don´t have time for explanations. Hurry!"

Victor jumped into the water and grabbed Yuri by his shoulder.

Suddenly, everything stopped. Yuri watched in awe as the river stood still and everything went quiet. Even the grass at the bank wasn´t moving as the breeze stopped at all. The noises above them couldn´t be heard anymore and when Yuri looked up, he could even recognize a witch in the center of the maze.

"Yuri! Don´t waste time looking around! Come out of the water, hurry up!"

Yuri gulped down and started to drag Otabek and himself out of the river. Victor didn´t help him but pay very close attention to hold him firmly by his arm.

"If I´ll let you go, time will freeze for you as well," explained Victor to him and kept watching above at the witch.

"So _that´s_ your magic.. time manipulation," coughed out Yuri while finally climbing to the steep slope. Victor didn´t even give him a minute to catch his breath as he quickly stood him up at his feet and again looked at his watch.

"We have to go. In a moment, the time unfreezes again."

"Okay, okay, just.. give me a sec. I still don´t get _how_ all of this happened, but.."

"That witch arose _from_ Otabek. You saw it yourself, didn´t you? Get on your feet already, we´re retreating."

"Wha- are you insane? There is a witch right there!" Yuri couldn´t hide his surprise, still not fully comprehending what Victor just told him.

"So drop that body and we can kill it right now. The maze is still forming, so it should be easy."

Victor pointed at the grass and Yuri just now realized that Otabek was still there, his eyes closed; heavy and drenched to the bone.

"What?" asked Yuri in cold tone and again leaned down to carry the man on his thin shoulders. "Why do you act so weird? We can´t just run away - what about people living around after the witch fully arises-"

"You can´t save everyone, Yuri. Just choose already."

Yuri growled when Victor´s blue eyes kept boring to him. Albeit cold, the logic of that old man was unshakeable.

"I fucking got it, alright? We´ll retreat but I´m taking him with us."

"As you wish," answered Victor simply. "Just remember to hold me while running. Any objections?"

Yuri gritted his teeth once again as he finally managed to grasp Otabek in his hands in a way he wouldn´t hinder him.

"No," he replied quietly and followed the older witch hunter.

"Victor! Stop already! He´s fucking heavy.." Yuri was panting heavily from the effort. Otabek still seemed unconscious and dragging him alone was really exhausting.

The silver-haired man stopped and carefully looked around. The time was again floating normally and the street lamps were blinking, small insects flying around the fading light.

"Ugh!" Yuri carefully put Otabek on the ground and tried to catch his breath. "Let me just look at him, he probably needs first aid or what.."

"Why don´t you get it already?" snapped Victor at him. "He won´t be coming back! There is no Otabek Altin anymore! And what do you think people will say if they found a body lying on the stree-oh.. Yuuri?!"

In disbelief, Yuri turned around from Beka´s face. If it was by accident or he managed to somehow track them down wasn´t important anymore; but indeed, the Japanese stood there, alive and well and looking at them with those confused, brown eyes.

"Otabek?" he asked quietly and started to walk towards them.

Yuri bit his lip.

_Well, fucks._

Yuuri slowly came to Otabek´s body and sat next to him similar to Yuri. From the couple times Yuri watched this guy react in stressful situations he was expecting cry, yelling, maybe also mental breakdown.

But none of it happened.

Yuuri just sat there, his eyes scanning Otabek´s wet hair, pale skin, closed eyes, and half-opened mouth. He looked so calm as if he was sleeping. But Yuri had already noticed his chest wasn´t moving and Victor´s words again echoed in his mind.

Did Otabek.. really changed into a _witch?_

But that is impossible. It had to be impossible. First of all, Otabek is here and the witch stayed behind them. And second of all, _why_ would humans start to turn into witches suddenly? Witches are their mortal enemy; the very existence of witch hunters is to _kill_ witches, not to _change_ into them!

"What kind of nonsense is that, Victor?!" he yelled out loud without even realizing it.

"He´s so cold," said Yuuri suddenly, not even wincing at Yuri shouting right next to him. "What happened, Victor? Where is his Soul Gem? Where is.. Otabek?"

Yuuri turned around at the tall silhouette in the shadows, his eyes big and desperate and still holding Otabek´s arm.

Yuri watched as Victor finally seemed to notice the scene in front of him - one immovable body and two pairs of eyes, waiting for an answer. Finally, the silver-haired man sighed but didn´t look at any of them.

"When his Soul Gem changed into a Grief Seed, it gave birth to a new witch and the crystal was destroyed in the process. I´m sorry, Yuuri."

"So that´s what happened.." repeated Yuuri after him, still absent-mindedly clutching to that cold arm. Ashamed, Yuri realized that he is still holding the wrist of Otabek´s other hand in an attempt to check his pulse earlier. But now he realized the skin is wet and cold and nothing could be sensed beneath it no matter how hard he was pressing his fingers to the veins.

"You must be kidding. How is it possible that you _knew_ all this stuff? First that thing about Soul Gems and now this?! If there is anything more, I swear I´ll kill you, Victor!" growled Yuri, let go of Otabek´s hand and slowly stood up, looking for his dagger at the same time.

"There won´t be a next time, Yuri. This is the final secret Kyuubey had never told you. The ultimate faith of all witch hunters. As despair and curses within you rise, your Soul Gem becomes polluted until in changes into Grief Seed and you turn to the witch in the very end of your life."

Yuri´s hand on the dagger started to shake. He couldn´t understand how Victor could just stand there in front of him, looking at him with those empty eyes; while next to him lies a dead body, a corpse of someone Victor _also_ knew and he seemed to be completely unaffected by it.

"Liar!" shrieked Yuri when his own eyes started to fill with tears from anger. "Telling all of this.. in front of _his_ friend!" He reflexively pointed a dagger to a body. Yuuri was still crouching there and his quiet sobs started to fill out the silence around them.

Victor looked at Yuuri.

"I believe that now you understand better the risk of becoming a witch hunter, Yuuri," he whispered, but the Japanese didn´t pay him any attention. He just sat there, on the cold ground, half-embracing Otabek´s body and cried into his chest.

"What did you- And you call yourself a human?! Ha, Victor?" Yuri was yelling and this time already shot some daggers in his direction, but the taller man dodged them in a blink of an eye.

"Of course not!" he yelled back, frowning and some sick joy spilled inside of Yuri when he saw that Victor is finally paying attention to him. "And neither are you or anyone who ever let themselves getting tricked by that small filth! Just when will you understand?!"

And just like that, Victor vanished and left Yuri alone with a sobbing man he barely even know and the dead body of his friend.

\--

Yuuri only barely remembered the following days after he found out about Otabek´s inevitable death and the final truth about witch hunters.

No matter how much he tried, his memories of that time stayed fuzzy, as if overlapped with thin fog.

The announcement of finding Otabek´s body to the police.

The endless interrogation and finally, his release. Yuri´s enchantment magic probably helped with this one.

The funeral. The eyes of Otabek´s family, darting at him through the rain.

He had been naive thinking that after Phichit´s death, he would already know what lies ahead of him.

In fact, he didn´t. Sure, he cried, but it didn´t help much. Despite that Yuuri´s relationship with Otabek had been very different than it was with Phichit; and despite everything that had happened between them in Otabek´s last days, Yuuri genuinely missed him. Probably the worst fact about it all was that Otabek´s death had been pointless to the very core and Otabek himself was probably well aware of it, too. In the end, Yuuri could only pity him. His friend didn´t even reach his thirties, with the last year being particularly horrible. As days passed, Yuuri somehow fell back in the state of blissful numbness, completely indolent to everything and everyone around him. He wasn´t surprised when he got fired from the work since he didn´t show up for more than two weeks without any clarification about his whereabouts.

It was one of these days when while lying in bed he suddenly noticed a very familiar silhouette behind the door.

_Can I come in? I want to talk to you about something._

Yuuri didn´t answer. What should he say after everything he had been a witness of; after all those lost lives?

Kyuubey eventually invited himself in and just jumped in the room right through the door.

_Yuuri?_

"What do you want?" murmured Yuuri from the bed. His voice was husky after not using it for days. He had to cough to clear his throat a bit. "I have only one question. Why? Why do you keep doing this.. to everyone?"

 _That is exactly why I came to see you. I thought an explanation would be appropriate,_ declared the animal and lied comfortably on the carpet.

"That´s a little too late for Otabek," replied Yuuri bitterly. "And Phichit. And god-knows-who-else you managed to trick by the way."

He obstinately refused to take a look at Kyuubey and rather darted his sight to the ceiling. The animal literally disgusted him now.

 _As you probably realized already, I am not from Earth,_ started Kyuubey like he misheard the last sentence. _Or, to be more specific, we are not. Our race - Incubators - are living on a distant planet in another galaxy, and we present yourselves in the plural. Besides me, there are currently also other Incubators present on Earth._

"So you´re basically an alien," declared Yuuri and for the first time, he started to pay attention to something in the past days. It´s not like you meet someone from outer space every day.

_I will not bother you with all the details. To put it simply, we - Incubators - are responsible to keep this universe alive._

The cat stretched itself and looked up to Yuuri.

"You expect me to _believe_ that?" snorted Yuuri. "You are wasting my time. Leave."

_Yuuri, I would say you are around thirty years old. Do you honestly believe you are alone in that entire vast universe? And what if I told you that the cosmos is getting old and we, Incubators, are preventing it to happen?_

Yuuri almost laughed from mockery.

"And how in the world could you actually accomplish something like this?"

_I am glad you asked. It took us a very long time to find out why is that, and what can we do to stop the process.. Eventually, we came to an answer. It´s emotions._

"Emotions," repeated Yuuri after him. "But you don´t _have_ any."

_Exactly. In my planet, emotions are considered extremely rare mental illness. And that was why we had to search outside our planet and our galaxy. And we have found Earth and.. you. We don´t hold any grudge against mankind, of course. But from all other life forms, you proved to be the most suitable._

Yuri gritted his teeth.

"Suitable for what? _What_ did you do to us, exactly?"

Kyuubey got up and moved to another spot where he remained seated and spun his tail occasionally.

_I don´t know from what are you accusing us all the time, or why do you have a feeling of a certain betrayal. All I did was to merely ask people with the potential if they wanted to have anything granted. Everyone has wishes for which they are willing to sacrifice something. We started visiting your planet regularly even before your history started to write itself. Napoleon, Caesar, Mozart, Hitler, Einstein, Tesla.. the list goes on and on. They all were willing to sell their very souls for the miracle they wished for._

Yuuri couldn´t help but he turned to the animal, shock mirroring in his eyes. It was true that all these men _literally_ changed the world one way or another. And till this day, corpses of Mozart or Hitler were never found. But he would never think that.. witch hunters? Really?

_Over time, we developed sufficient technology to convert your emotions into energy. All of this led to a world as you now know him. Yuuri, the universe is getting old. Have you heard about entropy? It´s a process when you need more and more energy to retain something in an unchanged status as the time progresses. The same is going on with space. We accidentally found out that the process of turning witch hunter into a witch gives birth to the unbelievable amount of energy. And our goal is to collect that energy for saving the universe. Do you see now the importance of it?_

Yuuri couldn´t believe his ears. Goal? Energy collecting? From living _humans_? This is what Phichit, Otabek and eventually probably Victor will die for? To serve like batteries and end as empty disposals, like _thousands_ of others?

His throat went dry.

"You really don´t get, do you? You never thought about how they felt.. how everyone spent their lives without knowing _what_ is lying ahead of them? You don´t feel anything while tricking everybody?"

_I am physically unable to possess any feelings. The contract itself is valid only after your agreement on it. From my perspective, we are treating you far better than you treat other sentient beings on this planet. But I have noticed already that humans are likely to blame everything and everyone around them when things are not going the way they wanted to._

Yuuri had to close his eyes, he tried to hide before the faces that started to appear in his mind. He couldn´t bear looking at them.

"Get out," he managed to say with a cold voice, fighting hard with tears that already started dripping from his cheeks to the soft fabric of his pillow sheet.

 _Ah._ The animal sighed and stood up again. _And here I was thinking that I could provide you sufficient explanation to understand the noble of all those sacrifices. But as it seems, I caused quite the opposite effect._

Yuuri didn´t turn up his face to him. _I just wish you had never come to this planet_ , he thought, since he was too tired to talk, or even _think_ about anything more.

 _Then you would be still living naked in caves, I suppose,_ replied Kyuubey and started to walk towards to exit of the room. Almost by a door, the animal turned around and once again darted its pink eyes onto a person lying on the bed.

_Yuuri. One day, you will become the strongest witch hunter and eventually, the strongest witch. But now you knew how it all works, and I can promise to you that all the energy we gain from you will be used to save the universe. Think about it._

After that, Kyuubey again vanished through the door like the material wasn´t even present and the room became more silent than ever.

Yuuri slowly opened up his eyes; the ever-present ceiling above him started to fill out with familiar shapes. The soft one, grey eyes; the frightened one, brown eyes and the pleading one, blue eyes.

He couldn´t bear the sight of any of them and again closed his eyelids. But the image stayed there as if burned to his skin, again and again popping up in his mind. It almost hurt.

He had been naive thinking that he could wish for anything without paying the ultimate price.

\--

After another few days, Yuuri woke up and decided that he should at least get up from the bed and eat something. He still wasn´t able to touch Otabek´s stuff, but he cleaned up the fridge and took out the trash. On his way back he even bought up some coffee and newspapers. The sun was shining, but the air was already cold - it was autumn again and the weather could change any minute.

How surprised he was when someone was waiting at him at the front door.

"Hey," waved the boy and took off his sunglasses.

"Yuri-kun?" breathed out Yuuri. Without his daggers, stuffed into a giant hoodie and loose, pale-yellow hair around his slender face he really seemed innocent. The boy moved from the doorframe he was casually leaning on and darted his clear, green eyes into Yuuri´s.

"Say.. do you want to try saving Otabek one more time?"

Yuuri´s breath froze in his lungs. After everything that has happened; after he had already taken his time to mourn after Otabek, he didn´t expect such a question. And certainly not from Yuri.

"How?" He finally managed to ask. "I mean.. is it even possible?"

"I´m not sure. I talked to Kuuybey and apparently, nobody even tried to do such a thing before. But that doesn´t mean it´s impossible. So, what do you say?"

"Uhm, Yuri-kun.. do you maybe want to go inside to discuss this, or.." started Yuuri nervously. It seemed like a longer topic to talk about it than on the hallway.

"Nah, I´m good. Look - of course it would be dangerous, so I´ll warn you ahead. It´s not like I have a plan or something, but I definitely don´t want to give up before trying. Who knows, maybe after I beat the witch, instead of Grief Seed there will be Otabek´s Soul Gem and his body somehow grows again from it. He had regenerating magic, after all.."

Yuuri smiled sadly. That didn´t seem probable even according to him. But there was never late to start hoping again.

"Maybe," he said eventually.

"Okay. Take your time to think about it. I´ll come again in two days. I can´t give you more time because of Walpurgis. Sorry."

"Mhm," agreed Yuuri. "So, in two days. I´ll be waiting. Uhm, and.. I´m Yuuri. Yuuri Katsuki. We haven´t been introduced yet," and he slowly reached his hand towards Yuri.

The younger man looked surprised for a second, but then shook his hand in return and gave him a startled, but honest smile. "You´re right. Yuri Plisetsky. And for Christ’s sake, drop the '-kun'!"

Two days passed in no time and just like Yuri promised, he appeared at Yuuri´s front door once again.

"You´re still in?" he asked instead of a greeting.

"Yes," replied Yuuri in all honesty. It didn´t matter now if they are going on a suicidal mission or not. At least he could leave this world with certainty that he did everything for bringing Otabek back.

"Good," answered Yuri. "Then let´s go. The sun is just setting, the timing is ideal. We´ll start searching around the area where that witch arose earlier. Perhaps we will find it quickly."

Yuuri was already prepared, so he just locked the door and they headed on their mission.

Yuri´s plan went better than they had expected. The traces of magical energy were strong enough to catch even after all the time has passed when Yuri last saw Otabek alive on that bridge. Right now, they were following the traces alongside the river, enveloped only in crystal green light of Yuri´s Soul Gem. Although much younger than other witch hunters or Yuuri himself, it was obvious that Yuri was very experienced. He carefully tracked down the witch, inch after inch and didn´t let anything to disturb him. Yuuri could only marvel about the concentration written into witch hunter´s face when he was carefully listening to his Soul Gem, and even more about the determination Yuri was showing in a way he cared about Otabek. It reminded Yuuri another veteran, his oldest and best friend who always put other´s happiness in front of his own.

_Phichit.. are you watching? Do you think we will succeed? What would you do if you would still be here? Here with me?_

But Yuri didn´t give him the luxury of thinking about other things.

"Hey, Piggy. What´re you thinking about with such a gloomy face?"

Yuuri winced.

_Piggy..?_

"Why.. why would you call me like that? Do I perhaps seem fat to you?"

"Well, _yeah!_ Look how chubby you are! And it will also help to distinguish between the two of us. It sucks that somebody is having the same name as _me_!"

Yuuri involuntarily came back in his memories. Sure, there were times when he would call himself with much worse names than just a 'chubby' but.. in fact, right now he couldn´t even remember _when_ was the last time he even ate properly.

His thoughts must have mirrored on his face since Yuri stopped himself and put one of his hand at his shoulder.

"Ow, come on! I´m just messing with ya. I´ve always been thin so everybody around seemed fat to me. Are we good, Piggy? Can we continue?"

"Sure," mumbled Yuuri but was still lost in thoughts. "Sorry, I was just thinking about other things.. and Phichit.. I mean, everything has been so strange lately, even Victor was acting weird.."

Yuri snorted.

"Ah, that old man? You should probably stay alert around him. He can get quite unpredictable, at least according to me. I don´t know what the fuck is his problem.. Anyway, we´re almost here."

He pointed out with his hand to the tall building in front of them. It seemed to be uninhabited panel house and looked pretty old. Yuuri just hoped nothing will harm them in any way while searching for the labyrinth.

"I have to ask you one more time," Yuri turned back to Yuuri. "Are you sure you want to stay? It could get pretty dangerous for unarmed civilian like you and I can´t guarantee your safety. I have no idea about the labyrinth or this witch´s abilities. Well?"

"Yuri," answered Yuuri patiently. "You don´t have to ask me for the third time. I´m in. Just tell me what to do, and I´ll do it. If there´s still any chance.. I have to try it, at least."

Yuri just nodded and took out an apple from his pocket and literally gulped it down. "Want some?" he turned back to Yuuri who just shook his head. Yuri shrugged his shoulder and took out another apple, and then one more. Similar to the first one, these two also vanished in him quickly.

"You seem to really like apples," noted Yuuri.

"I need glucose before a fight," explained him Yuri while chewing. "Currently, nothing better comes to my mind other than that you should just talk to him. Otabek, I mean. If the witch is _really_ him, perhaps he will recognize your voice and turn back or whatever."

"Okay," nodded Yuuri. "And if it won´t work out.."

"If not, we´ll think about what to do next afterward. There is no doubt, Piggy. It is inside."

"And are you sure this is the same witch that-"

"Hundreds percent sure. You as a regular human can´t see it but every magic has its own pattern.. well, I won´t go into details, there is no time for that."

"Uhm," nodded Yuuri and followed the young witch hunter inside where they almost stumbled upon stairs. Yuri cursed when he realized that they have to climb all the way up. It seemed to be at least twenty floors, at least.

"I fucking _hate_ stairs," growled Yuri and started to climb up. "Come on Piggy, move that ass."

"You know, maybe we should nickname you too," grinned Yuuri while taking three steps at the time - with his stamina he didn´t even get out of breath. "What about 'Yurio?' I think that could distinguish as too."

"What?!" hissed Yuri. "You try to call me like that _once_ and I swear that-"

"Yuri," smiled Yuuri slightly. "I was just joking. You know, to enlighten a mood."

"Ah," Yuri let out after a moment. "You´re right. We´re going to save Otabek, so we could get a little bit more excited, I guess? Sometimes you have quite good ideas, Piggy."

The stairs continued and after a while, they both proceeded with a steady speed.

"Yuri?" asked Yuuri after another minute.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I should become a witch hunter?"

The younger man turned around on the stairs and looked down at him from above.

"Look. I understand where is this probably coming from.. but you _really_ shouldn´t take this lightly. This job is not for everyone. I believe Beka could tell you stories. If you want to become a witch hunter purely out of boredom, I´ll personally kick you in the nuts. This is _not_ fun. Putting your life on the line should be your last choice after you´d run out of all other options. And if really comes such a time, I´m sure you´ll recognize it. Then, and only then, you should start thinking about it. Got it?"

Yuuri felt those green eyes boring to him and again felt incredibly small and ashamed. Yuri was right, of course. Considering what has happened to Phichit, Otabek´s endless suffering and Victor´s immurement..

Should he throw everything behind him in an attempt to save a friend? And if the mission fails.. what will be left to him?

"Piggy?" echoed a voice from above him and Yuuri saw that Yuri´s eyes are now more concerned than angry.

"I´m sorry, Yuri," he pushed out of himself after a while.

"Hey.. Pi-I mean Yuuri. Look at me. I don´t want to be an asshole to you, but it´s true. There is no way back after you decide. Do you understand?"

Yuuri slowly nodded and Yuri´s expression somehow softened.

"Jeez. You´re just making me trouble. Come, let´s go save Otabek. And after that, you´re inviting both of us to your place for a beer. We could use to take a break for a bit."

"A beer?" asked Yuuri in confusion while they finally reached the top floor. He nictated when the last rays of the sun stung him to the eyes suddenly. "Aren´t you still underage?"

"What? I´m fucking twenty already! Just what did you think, Piggy? For Christ's sake!"

Yuuri got red and started to apologize.

"Ah, you are? Sorry! I really thought you´re teenager.."

"Well, I´m _not_! And now-"

They were interrupted by the clear green light coming from Yuri´s Soul Gem, pulsing strongly. Yuri winced and with quiet 'Tsch!' put Yuuri to silence with a gesture.

The surroundings around them started to change; the walls, windows, and floor were gone, replaced by a glimmering black mass that was spreading under their feet. Yuuri carefully stepped on it; it was soft and seemed harmless. He managed to remain his balance and moved on. It reminded him of walking on the crisp, fresh fallen snow. Yuri was already in front of him, waiting. One green eye flashed from under the boy´s fringe as he transformed.

"It seems we already got inside. Now the real fun begins."

Almost side by side, they were searching throughout the maze in silence. Yuri tried telepathy with Yuuri to ease their communication, but for whatever reason, it wasn´t successful. Eventually, he gave up. The labyrinth seemed pretty wide and after they spotted several familiars, their progression slowed down even more. Yuuri suddenly remembered on his very first witch hunting, way back with Phichit. When he saw his first familiar he almost froze on the spot with fear. Something came to his mind.

"Yuri?" he carefully turned his head to the right to whisper in that blond hair. "I´ve always wanted to ask you.. how did you and Phichit actually meet?"

Yuri turned to him only to avert his sigh a second later and quickly peeping to the alley that was lying ahead of them.

"Save that for later. Prepare yourself, quickly. It´s coming!" he hissed out quietly.

Yuri couldn´t even ask _what_ exactly he should prepare for when he felt a strong force pulling him through the alley. He tried to catch something, anything, but it was pointless. In a flash of speed he fell on the ground in a suddenly vast space surrounding him and with a yelp, Yuri ended up almost knocking him down. Both men quickly got up on their feet while coughing out dust. Yuuri noticed they were standing in a thick layer of sand and the whole labyrinth glistened with pale yellow color.

"Watch out!" shouted Yuri nearby when something huge and round started rolling to them. Surprised, Yuuri realized it was actually a giant motorcycle wheel. With one shot, Yuri managed to hit the dagger at the exact spot to change its trajectory and the wheel jumped away.

Yuri moved his hand with immense speed and Yuuri suddenly found himself behind a green protective barrier with perforating pattern. It was the same one Yuri used while fighting Otabek for the first time they met.

"No matter what don´t try to break the barrier, got it? Your role is to avert the witch´s attention. Do as we planned - try shouting, talking, telepathy, _whatever_ ; just for fuck´s sake _never_ leave the barrier! Okay?"

Yuri grasped Yuuri by his shoulders and kept watching him in the eyes until Yuuri nodded. Then he let him go, made an opening in the barrier and quickly slid through it to the other side. The barrier closed itself quietly.

Only seconds after he appeared on the other side, they both noticed a movement somewhere in front of them.

It was the witch. It was giant, dark color and almost in the shape of a human. Yuuri shivered. This was the first time the witch reminded him of a living human instead of just being a malicious indescribable creature. He gulped down and tried to stick his hand out of the barrier but Yuri´s magic didn´t let him. He gritted his teeth and leaned with his forehead at the green structure while ignoring the stinging from foreign magic at his skin.

"Be careful, Yuri," he breathed out.

The young witch hunter didn´t turn back, his eyes glued to the witch, only nodded his head slightly. He was already holding a pair of daggers in each of his hands and Yuuri spotted another one popping out from his hoodie.

"Don´t worry about me, Piggy. Now, let´s get started."

In a blitz, he was already gone and Yuuri noticed the first green glimpse somewhere ahead of him. It took him a couple of seconds to remember he should also start to do something.

"Otabek!" He shouted out loud. "It´s me, Yuuri! Do you hear me? Do you understand my voice?"

Only some inhuman growling echoed in the air and Yuuri immediately got goosebumps.

"Keep going!" Yuri´s distant voice came back to him.

Yuuri nodded for himself and moved closer to the barrier.

"Otabek? Are you out there? Do you recognize us?" he kept shouting the loudest as he could. "Do you remember? Do you remember Phichit, and me?"

A shout echoed across the air and Yuuri tried in vain to see at least the glimpse of what was going on. He could recognize a small silhouette of Yuri standing in the way of other giant wheels. His speed was incredible and throughout the dust that was covering his view, Yuuri managed to only spot flashes of green color jumping from one spot to another in an attempt to dodge the witch´s attacks. One wheel bumped into barrier and Yuuri screamed as the structure bend inside. But the pattern kept holding together and the wheel jumped away as if it was a feather. Just now Yuuri remembered that the laws of physics are mostly invalid in the maze since the witch´s magic surpasses them.

"Yuri!" he yelled in the dust when the boy suddenly appeared pretty close to him. The boy quickly stood up, spitting away the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"I´m okay," he grinned impatiently. "I guess this is just payback from our first meeting, huh? It looks like he´s still pretty mad at me. Continue, Yuuri!" he yelled back as he again jumped back while shooting unbelievable amounts of daggers at the witch.

"Otabek! Please stop! We don´t want to hurt you. Do you hear me?!" Yuuri managed to recollect himself but his eyes kept searching for Yuri. Nothing could be seen through the dust but the sounds witch was producing seemed to get louder.

Suddenly the barrier shook itself as Yuri´s body hit it directly with enormous speed, a scream stuck in his throat, and fell hard on the ground. The apertures in the structure enlarged and only second after Yuuri realized that the barrier fell apart.

"Yuri! Are you okay?" he rushed to the young man lying in the sand. Yuri´s eyes were closed as he slowly managed to sit up straight and his jaw was clenched so hard Yuuri could count all his teeth.

"Fuck," he murmured when noticing his leg was very probably broken.

Yuuri´s pupils went large when he spotted the limb twisted in unnatural shape.

"Can you heal it?" he asked quietly, fighting the urge to run away from the sounds that seem to be approaching them in no time.

"No," pushed out Yuri through his teeth. "Phichit tried to learn me but I can heal only small injuries. Certainly not _this_."

He kept examining his leg for another minute and when it was evident the witch is very nearby, he grabbed Yuuri by his arm to help himself stand up.

"Listen to me, Yuuri. You need to get out. Now. Ran back the way we came here. Once I defeat the witch, the labyrinth will fall apart and you´ll find the right direction out of the building."

Yuuri looked in confusion at the boy barely standing next to him; the broken leg shaking uncontrollably with exhaustion and his body bleeding from many other injuries. At the boy who just sent him _away_.

"No," he shook his head, "no way. I´ll stay here. You _can´t_ fight at conditions like this. Just create a barrier where we could hide and think about what to do next. Just like you said earlier, okay? There is _no_ way I could run away-"

"You have to. Yuuri. Do you hear me? You _have to_. Just leave me here. I have a plan that might work, but.. I need you to get out of here."

"NO!" protested Yuuri but before he could say anything more something huge suddenly grasped him and he found himself in the air. He couldn´t move, not to talk about breathing. His head started to hurt badly and he felt dizzy while distantly perceiving sharp stinging throughout his whole body. It took all of his effort to stay conscious.

"Hey! Are you out of your fucking _mind_? How do you dare to hurt your friend like that!"

Angry yelling managed to found its way to his ears. With his eyes half-closed, Yuuri managed to see a blurry picture of the small figure down there under him. The picture was zooming closer and closer until he almost recognized that familiar blond hair.

_Yuri.._

A sharp pain struck him deep somewhere in his chest, he screamed out and his consciousness faded away in the nothingness.

\--

(Yuri and Victor)

When Yuri saw the Japanese Yuuri faint and falter in the witch´s hand, something broke within him.

"Fuck! Hang on, Piggy!" he shouted in the air and with gritted teeth carefully stood on both his feet. It hurt horribly but it wasn´t like he had any choice. He will either overcome the pain and save them both, or..

"Yuri!"

Wait.. he _knew_ that voice.

"Hey. Took you long enough," he greeted the newcomer without even turning back, his eyes still scanning the witch. The creature´s hand was blow off abruptly and felt on the ground, stirring up a pile of dust. Someone whizzed next to him, heading directly in that cloud full of sand.

He heard some noise and imagined how Victor is lifting Yuuri, probably checking if he was alright. He would have to be totally blind _not_ to notice how much he was into Piggy.

Victor finally managed to transport back and stopped nearby him, his tall silhouette appearing in the corner of his eye.

"That leg of yours.."

"Leave it be. As far as I know, you don´t possess healing magic, either. Victor," he finally turned back only to see the exact scene he was picturing before, "take care of him. I was too stupid to realize it was pointless from the beginning.. I guess now I finally understand what Beka meant back then."

With a sad smile, Yuuri waved his hand one more time and the barrier separated him from the older witch hunter.

"Now, go. You should found the way back easy. And don´t give me that look. I still have one ace up in my sleeve. Don´t worry, I´ll take care of Otabek. I´ll stay here by him.. till the end."

With a grin, Yuri turned away and quickly took off one of his earrings. Victor watched as the small metal ring transformed into a giant spear which almost shined with the sharpness. As if it weighed nothing, he grasped the cold metal and without any other word vanished in the cloud of dust.

Victor suppressed the burning in his eyes and quickly grasped Yuuri´s waist so he wouldn´t fall back on the ground. He was still unconscious.

The labyrinth started to shake and Victor had to jump away to keep his balance. Something shiny took his attention and he reflexively stuck his hand to the sand. When his fingers brushed against the smooth metal, he already knew what it was. He quickly took out the pendant and carefully put it in his pocket.

Victor sighed and dedicated one last look to the dust but couldn´t see anything. Odd, how quickly he always got attached to that boy. He tried so much, even sacrificed himself to achieve the goal he was desperately aiming for. It reminded him of his younger self.

"Let´s go, Yuuri," he whispered to the numb body in his arms.

He deliberately avoided looking at the fissures that started to appear in the barrier.

_Yuri.._

\--

(Victor, the same evening)

He was standing on the balcony, thinking. The night was finally coming to its end but this wasn´t the outcome Victor has imagined. When chilly breeze hit his face, he shivered. This wasn´t just some cold weather approaching the city.

_It´s coming._

"You knew what was going to happen."

He turned around to the animal sitting rudely on his sofa.

Kyuubey didn´t even flick its ear.

"I never said that it is possible to turn the witch back into the hunter it used to be."

Victor´s eyes narrowed.

"So why didn´t you stop him? Such precious sacrifice.. you knew Yuri was a very experienced witch hunter."

"Of course I would have stopped any useless actions that could lead to the wasting of energy. But in this specific case, there was a very good reason for us not to interfere. Now you are the only one left to stop the Walpurgis Night, and without any doubt, you can´t win alone. In order to save this city, Yuuri Katsuki would have to become a witch hunter."

Victor´s eyes couldn´t get any colder than the ice they reminded.

"I won´t allow that to happen. Ever again."


	10. Victor, part I - The Point of the Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two chapters (10 and 11) are loosely based on episode 10 from original Madoka anime. Each of them is over 10k words long but it was really necessary. The main reason for this was that contrary to original anime, Victor and Yuuri know each other for a whole year instead of one month as in case of Homura and Madoka. Regardless, I really enjoyed writing these 2 chapters and humbly consider them the best from the whole story. Enjoy!

Monday, October the 16th.

_Crap!_

Victor was running across the street, hoping he wouldn´t be late yet again. He couldn´t understand how was he always late despite his enormous effort to prevent so.

_I guess I´m just too distraught. Which is harmless most of the time, but today.. it would be really funny if the new CEO would miss his welcome meeting._

Victor started to get nervous, his heart beating up in his chest. Usually, the company would send him a car with a private driver, but he lived in a close distance and insisted on taking a walk to the work.

 _But, as always, I forgot the time of the meeting and that´s how I ended up like this_ , he thought for himself.

Finally, the company building started rising in front of him and he quickly ran inside and mixed within the crowd.

 _Too bad I didn´t have time for a showe_ -

Suddenly he ended up on a floor, his ribs hurt and chin stubbed. He coughed, confused for a second and started to get up. Someone helped him on the feet and he suddenly realized how tall he is compared to everyone else. Before he could even open his mouth, a medium-sized brown-haired man stepped to him quickly and started to apologize. “I am terribly sorry, I haven´t noticed you soon enough,” he bowed down deeply and stayed there, his back straight as a ruler.

 _That´s so.. Japanese_ , thought Victor instinctively.

“It´s okay, you don´t have to apologize. Come on, please stand up,” he said and brushed his fingers against his shoulders lightly. The man quickly rose up again and Victor just now realized he was younger than him and wore glasses. The man was still looking at him, at his face, in his eyes and Victor felt struck by his sight.

_Such soft and sincere eyes.. they are just beautiful._

“I am glad you seem unhurt. Again, I am really sorry, mister..?"

Victor slowly went back to his senses and stretched his hand forward. “My name is Victor, Victor Nikiforov,” he said and the other man shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Nikiforov. “

“You can call me Victor,” Victor interrupted him quickly. He didn´t like to present himself 'like a boss' although he indeed was in a higher position than the other employees. The Japanese smiled slightly, only so much that Victor didn´t know if it was real or he had just imagined it up.

“My name is Yuuri Katsuki, nice to meet you too.”

Victor shook the warm palm of the other men and just now realized everyone is standing next to them and staring. The blush appeared on his cheeks.

_Don´t they have anything better to do?_

Some of the bystanders took a closer look at him and started whispering.

_Great._

He looked at Yuuri and wanted to tell something, anything to break the awkward silence, but Yuuri also went red and started to fumble: “Wait.. I have seen you before..you are-“

_Crap again!_

Victor just remembered his true purpose for his visit today: to officially introduce himself as the new CEO of this company.

“Excuse me,” he quickly stepped away from Yuuri who was still standing there in surprise. “I really have to run right now, I´m sorry!” He turned around and vanished in a blitz. He was absolutely sure he would be late.

_Too bad. I really wanted to talk to him for a little longer._

Surprisingly, his meeting was postponed - so he got some time to change his clothes and even managed to comb his hair thoroughly. They were long and although he was already beyond his thirties, he loved them that way. One more look in the mirror and he was ready to go. He just hoped he wouldn´t get very nervous in front of the audience.

The speech went well except for one particularly persistent guy who just kept asking question after question. When the conference room finally emptied, Victor took out a handkerchief and wiped away the sweat from his forehead.

_This whole day was crazy. This is the first time I was elected for such a high position not to mention no one even bothered to ask me about my opinion. Hell, I am not even sure what my work is, anyway. I will have to study it more in detail later and also hire new employees, I guess.. so much responsibility.. am I even ready for this? Maybe I should just go home and sleep on it._

Victor nodded for himself and decided to call it a day. After all, his work wouldn´t start sooner than tomorrow.

\--

A week passed in no time. Viktor finally started to feel familiar in his office; he managed to remember the way to the canteen and even the name of his secretary. He was well aware he forgets _a lot_ , but he was born like this and luckily, instead of blaming him others usually found it just cute.

He used to call his mother now and then. Victor had always good relationship with both of his parents, but somehow always felt closer to his mom. Victor was her late and only child. A year ago, his father died unexpectedly on a sudden heart attack. It was a huge shock and the two remaining members of Nikiforov family bonded even closer. Even for always cheerful Victor those were tough times, not to mention his broken mother. With her crying all the time, he had to hide his tears for later.

Sometimes his thoughts flew back to Yuuri. He had last seen him on his welcome meeting, but then it seemed to him like the brown-haired Japanese vanished into the air. He hadn´t noticed him on the hallways and he was always out of office. It seemed strange to him but Victor decided to let it go and just believed they will meet some other time.

\--

It was Friday afternoon; Victor was already heading to his rental apartment and just deciding whether to go to the grocery store or not when his phone rang. He took it out of his blazer and picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Hello? This is Maxim Bogomolov, M.D. from St. Petersburg City Hospital. Can I please speak with Mr. Nikiforov?”

Victor knew very well _who_ was hospitalized in that particular hospital and his heart almost skipped a beat.

Not a long time since his father´s funeral, his mother´s condition worsened. After rounds of examination and lab tests, the diagnosis was clear: cancer. She had to be hospitalized immediately and unfortunately, the odds weren´t in her favor. That was six months ago and the response of her body to the treatment was still weak. The disease was progressing fast and Victor even considered quitting his job and spending the remaining time with her. But Eleonora didn´t let him. Last time he saw her was a week ago; a small, aged woman lost in a huge hospital bed. Although visibly in pain, she reached her hand and stroked his cheek gently.

“I know you waited long for this opportunity, Vitenka. Go to Japan and fulfill your dreams. I will stay here until you return,” she managed to smile. Victor was gulping down his tears while kissing her on the forehead and promising over and over he would be back in no time.

The man on the other side again started to ask for his name, so Victor cleared his throat and replied: “Yes, speaking. How can I help you?”

“Mr. Nikiforov, we call you in case of your mother, Eleonora Nikiforov..”

“How is she? What about her treatment? You said you tried some new medicaments starting on today..” Victor was rambling; he knew very well his mother didn´t respond well to any treatment so far but he refused to believe the reality. He was supposed to call her today after his return from work. But when they called _him_ , it could mean only one thing: his mother is gone.

“Mr. Nikiforov, I am sorry to inform you but Mrs. Nikiforov passed away today. Her body was already very weak and the new drugs were probably far too strong for her. Her heart did not make it.” There was a moment of silence and then the man added. “Again, we are sorry for your loss.” Victor didn´t even remember how he ended up the conversation, put the phone back to his pocket and the world around him started to swirl. He just wanted to get home as soon as possible.

With tears in his eyes and complete chaos in his head, he suddenly found himself on an unknown street. It didn´t take him a long time to realize that he had been lost once again. He was bad at orientation, he always was - no wonder with his heads always in the clouds.

_I had probably turned into a bad direction.._

Victor cursed and started to look around. Nothing seemed familiar and moreover, the street was empty. For a moment Victor felt like the last human on Earth.

_I don´t even remember how I got here. Jesus, for how long was I just roaming the streets?_

He shook his head and tried to turn back only the found himself surrounded by houses with no exit street.

_Okay, so probably the next alley..?_

He turned around, but there was just another dead end.

_This is impossible. I´ll rather call a cab._

Victor took out his phone only to discover he was out of signal.

_Fuck. I guess I must figure it out for myself._

Blood started to rush in his head and he reflexively loosened his collar and released his tie.

_How come is so hot in here? It´s already October, for heaven´s sake._

Victor wiped out his forehead and continued to walk, this time in the left direction. It didn´t matter if he came home sooner or later. There was no one else to call anymore. His eyes darted into the ground, thinking about his poor mother and her suffering in the past months.

_She is in a better place now. I believe it. I´ve always believed in it._

He lifted his sight to heavens and closed his eyes for a moment. The wind blew in his face, in his hair; the leaves were falling from the trees and gently scratching his skin. When Victor finally opened up his eyes, he saw something unexpected: a cemetery.

_A cemetery? I didn´t know there is a one in this part of the city._

As if being pulled by some unknown force he slowly stepped forward.

_I should at least light up a candle for my mother.._

The front gate was already open, welcoming him.

Victor completely ignored the fact his mother died only several hours ago, so she wouldn´t be buried yet, and if she already were it would definitely _not_ be in Japan. Some small part of his brain was realizing that he was being manipulated, but the rest of it and his body were moving on its own will and completely refused to stop. He frantically tossed away his blazer and tie; it was too hot. Victor speeded up his steps, almost ran to the cemetery. Like a maniac, he started to look for her grave.

_Where is it?! It must be somewhere in here!_

Grave after grave, name after name, when finally.. in front of him rose up a giant crypt from a mist, a Nikiforov crypt. The scene started to remind a bad horror but Victor was already trapped in something that looked like a.. _maze_?

Unbelievably as it was, he realized just now that that whole cemetery was enveloped with thick hedge fence and graves were arranged to form narrow alleys, seeming to never meet or end in the same point. He gulped when he looked around and tried not to panic. Victor saw now that the things he started to see around him were definitely not normal. The distant part of his brain ordered him to run, but a sting on his ankle and another one higher on his calf took his attention. He looked down and froze.

Some thorny plant was snaking up his legs, slowly proceeded piece by piece while stabbing its thorns into Victor´s flesh. He yelped from pain and fell on his knees, unable to move. A cold sweat ran down his spine and he shivered.

_What is happening? What should I do?_

Victor wanted to scream out loud, but his neck was clenching by shock and pain. Sharp thorns were stabbing more into his muscles and small strains of blood ran down his skin, hot and wet. Victor hissed and started to remove the sprouts but the thorns broke under his skin and he was unable to pull them out. He almost screamed from frustration.

_I need to get out of this, otherwise.._

A sudden creak interrupted him and he gazed in horror as the crypt opened up itself as if welcoming him.

He wanted to look away but he couldn´t; his eyes kept coming back to the darkness inside. He forcibly closed his eyelids but he knew he wouldn´t be able to resist long. His sight was somehow attracted to the crypt and seeking of whatever he would find in there. Kneeling on the cold ground, he dared to slowly open up his eyes and look. His gaze was met with the empty eye sockets of a skeleton, lying on the ground, bones tossed up all around the place. His eyes went wide, pupils blown away and unwittingly, his breath was held in horror. Deep inside the crypt, something was _moving._ He couldn´t recognize anything specific but even the little he saw was terrifying. Victor couldn´t get frightened easily; but with limited options to move, in a lot of pain and facing some unknown monster he was slowly on the verge of collapsing. His eyes burst in tears, his chest was clenching, and he felt like vomiting.

Suddenly, Victor felt a touch on his shoulder; he froze and dared not to turn his head. The warmth started to spread around his body, comforting him, soothing him and he finally realized it was the _human_ touch. He almost started crying from relief, slowly turned his head and his eyes went wide. Even in this pathetic condition, he recognized his savior.

“Don´t worry. Everything will be alright.”

Victor completely surrounded to those gently brown eyes. They were firm, yet soft and caring.

He nodded and then everything went blur.

When he woke up, he found himself still at the cemetery. Victor winced in a sudden panic attack but before he could open up his mouth, he was embraced from behind by two warm arms. “Try to relax a little, okay? It´s alright now, it´s over already,” he heard a quiet voice speaking right to his ear.

Victor took a couple of deep breaths and surprisingly, it worked. When his heart was again beating normally, he turned around.

_Unbelievable, that from all people.._

“Yuuri..?” he asked with a small voice; his throat was still clenching from that hot air.

“Oh, so you do remember me. I am glad,” said Yuuri and smiled again. With his sigh firmly attached to Victor, he slowly let him go but stayed sitting at his side.

Everything started coming back to Victor; he hissed and touched his head. It hurt.

“What.. what happened-“ he tried to ask but Yuuri interrupted him.

“We´ll explain you everything later, but right now we must focus on these wounds.. they don´t look good. Phichit, could you come over?” he waved to someone else and started to pull up Victor´s trousers up to his calves.

Victor noticed just now there was a third person involved in all of this. He vaguely remembered some _plant_ climbing up his legs, but everything was too blur and confusing.

“Coming!” he heard the other voice and suddenly, a second man appeared in front of him, quickly introduced himself and also started to focus on his wounds. The epinephrine circulating in his blood was still partially blocking the pain, but Victor could already feel pinching and throbbing on both his legs and knew he would soon need professional help.

“I´m sorry, but shouldn´t we go to the hospital or something..?” he asked and wasn´t sure whether he would like to hear rather 'yes' or 'no'. Both men were blocking his view so he couldn´t see his injuries in detail.

Yuuri and Phichit turned to him and both shook their heads.

“Common drugs aren´t very effective against wounds brought on by magic. Don´t worry, I will heal you here. Nobody is around anyway. Yuuri, give me your knife.”

_Magic? Knife? What for?_

“Hey, wait a minute,” he protested, but Phichit pushed him back on the ground.

“Sorry, but I can´t block the pain, so you´ll have to endure it for a while. I promise I´ll heal you as quickly as possible,” said Phichit with a concerned look on his face and then turned back to Yuuri. “Shall we start?”

_Wait!_

Victor absolutely despised any idea that involved both his legs _and_ the knife.

The sharp pain hit his brain and he started yelling.

For the second time that day, he woke up at the cemetery. This time his bottom half was naked - thankfully except for his underwear. He again slowly sat up and his sight fell on his legs. The ground under him was a bloody mess and Victor jumped on his feet, shivering with disgust, trying to get rid of the blood from his skin. And then he saw it. There were no wounds from which the blood was supposed to be leaking. His skin was without a scratch, soft as usual. He stroked his legs over and over in awe.

_But I was hurt, wasn´t I..?_

A quick flash of memories hit his brain and he gasped. Now it all made a slightly bigger sense, but he was still confused.

“Ah, you woke up! Great!”

Both Yuuri and that other man were heading to his direction.

_I must´ve fainted.._

“We were just talking about what we are going to do with you,” said the brown-skinned man and winked at him. Victor couldn´t remember his name and didn´t understand what he was talking about.

“Come on Phichit, give him a break. Poor guy probably doesn´t even know who you are,” laughed Yuuri and pushed something in Victor´s arms. Victor was pleasantly surprised – it was his trousers! - and immediately put them on.

“You know what I mean. He is a civilian. Plus, he obviously can´t see Kyuubey otherwise he would freak out already.”

“I know.. but Phichit, he has seen us right during action and I bet he will get his memories back. We have to tell him.”

The other man looked pensively for a while, but eventually, his face relaxed and he smiled again.

“I guess you´re right. Who would have thought that we will rescue our new CEO?” laughed Phichit and took Yuuri´s hand. Yuuri leaned onto him and embraced both Phichit and Victor.

“Don´t tell anyone in the work, okay?” he winked at Victor and squeezed his hand.

Victor slowly squeezed Yuuri´s hand, too. It was soft and warm and Victor felt completely at loss by those two.

_What just happened..?_

“So let me repeat that. You two.. hunt witches?”

Victor literally couldn´t believe he actually said that sentence.

They all moved in from the cemetery to the Phichit´s apartment and he was already given an explanation about everything, but it was still too.. _unreal_.

_I mean.. witches, really? The last time I have heard this word was 30 years back.. probably._

He watched as Yuuri and Phichit exchanged looks between them. They both seemed to be a little concerned.

“I understand if it is too farfetched for you, Victor, but we are not lying. Why would we do such a thing?”

Yuuri looked at him and Victor had to admit there are no lies in those eyes. Phichit too seemed to be deadly serious. He was leaning into the wall with crossed arms.

“I mean, _dude_ ,” Phichit looked at him and Victor could tell he was starting to get upset. “You saw it with your own eyes. Furthermore, you said yourself that you remembered being somehow manipulated to go to that cemetery, right? Does that feel normal to you? An in case you forgot, I pulled out 24 thorns from your legs and yet-do you see any wounds? Or do you think you have healed all by yourself, hah?”

Victor did remember all of those things. Just a pure thought of that cemetery gave him goosebumps. He felt ashamed. If it weren´t for Phichit.. well, Yuuri sure wouldn´t let him die, but everything would probably get much more complicated.

His cheeks blushed a little as he gave Phichit an apologetic look.

“I´m sorry,” he mumbled.

Phichit just nodded but said nothing.

“Okay, okay, you two,” Yuuri tried to relax the atmosphere a little. “Perhaps it´s too much on you right now, Victor. Do you have any place to sleep?"

_Sleep..?_

"Erm.. yes, yes I have, actually.." he nodded, distracted from his thoughts, vaguely remembering he has a flat to return to.

"Good. You probably need to sleep on it. If you want to know more, we could meet tomorrow after work, okay?"

Yuuri again touched him by his shoulders and when his chocolate eyes bore onto Victor, he felt completely captivated. He nodded again, this time more prominent. Yuuri gave him a small smile a finally let him go.

"Well then.. goodnight, Victor," he said.

Somebody snapped his fingers loudly and that was the last thing Victor remembered from that night.

\--

When he woke up the next day, he almost believed all of it was just a bad nightmare his poor stressed-out brain had produced. But when he reached his arm for his phone, the touch of the cold metal cruelly revived his memories and that was when he remembered: his mom passed away, he was almost _killed_ and then saved by Yuuri and..

His head started to spin and he had to put it in his palms to prevent getting dizzy.

_So it was true, after all._

He knew there was only one person that could give him answers.

Victor quickly put on some clothes and almost run to work.

\--

(after work, Phichit´s apartment)

"I can´t believe he acts as if he had completely forgotten about me!" pouted Phichit. " _I_ ´m the one who healed him in the first place.."

"Oh, come on, Phichit. He said he was sorry for at least a dozen times," Yuuri stood up from his chair and embraced the smaller man conciliatorily while murmuring him something in the ears. The Thai nuzzled in his neck and his expression softened instantly.

Victor averted his sight. He suddenly felt like a third wheel. It was weird to see Yuuri like that. Without thinking he coughed and two pairs of eyes darted onto him.

"I´m really sorry, Phichit," he declared and pretend to not notice how the other man still held Yuuri close by his waist; the brown skin very visible on the pale belly peeping up from under t-shirt.

"There you go - _again_ and I believed you are finally forgiven now," Yuuri looked at Phichit who nodded and sat back on his seat.

Victor took a breath again - he wasn´t even realizing he was holding it the entire time.

"I-could you perhaps tell me more? I don´t think I can just forget about all that has happened. I´m confused.. a lot," he admitted and his sight moved to Yuuri.

"Sure. That´s why we are here, after all. So, what do you would like to know?"

 _I want to know if you two are dating,_ thought Victor immediately. _Sure, that would be great to know, but.. I´ll rather start with something simpler._

Victor cleared his throat and this time his eyes found both men in front of him.

"We should probably start again from the beginning."

\--

And that was how it began. Only after Victor has attended several other witch huntings he was finally ready to admit to himself that he couldn´t just move on with this as if nothing had happened.

_Witches are real and they eat people._

But this was just far cry from what was lying ahead of him.

Nothing could prepare him on the savageness of open, bleeding wounds on the human body and the pain in Yuuri´s or Phichit´s face. What he had seen in labyrinths was probably surpassing every law of physics that existed. He could fly in one maze just to be almost killed in another. Victor never attended any military service or liked guns and violence, particularly; and suddenly he was thrown into cruel battles when seconds could decide about his life or death.

Not that he did it against his will. He even volunteered to accompany those two since sitting alone in his flat and suffer from uncertainty of Yuuri´s state was almost unbearable. But over time he gained respect for Phichit, too - after all he had saved more lives that Victor could have in his entire life. His personality was pleasant and he could very well undersand Yuuri´s feelings for the boy. Still, he somehow felt as if Phichit held a bit of personal grudge against him for whatever reason.

What he surely didn´t expect were _his_ emotions. Victor had a few crushes before - who hasn´t - and what had been going between him and Levik long ago probably _could_ be described as some kind of relationship, but..

He always knew that it wasn´t love.

Deep down, he was painfully aware of the fact he hasn´t even _been_ in love before.

Until he met Yuuri Katsuki.

Victor wasn´t sure, what was he feeling or why was he feeling like this in the first place, but it had to be because of _him_.

It started with simple things: he caught himself staring at his silk, raven hair shining in the moonlight; he visited him in his office _way_ more often than it was needed, and oh, of course, there was Yuuri himself.

Yuuri was just _charming_.

Kind-hearted and loveable, his smile warm as the morning sun, his eyes witty and deep at the same time. Victor distantly perceived that he was being dazzled, pulled in together with this person, skipping his work responsibilities in exchange for spending more time with him.

Victor was a pretty advanced liar, but he couldn´t lie to himself even if he wanted. He knew how he felt for Yuuri; how he was always scared that Phichit wouldn´t heal him in time while at the same time he couldn´t stand the sight of them together. Those few times he had stayed overnight in Phichit´s apartment Victor spent tossing over on the soft mattress all night, the memory of Phichit and Yuuri saying 'good night' and vanishing in the bedroom carved in his memory. He never dared to ask directly about their relationship but their displays of affection were too often and too intimate for just friends. Victor hated himself at the thought of him pushing Phichit away, away from those curved lips and soft body he was longing to kiss, mark and claim as yours - but he couldn´t help himself.

He was just a mere human, after all. And although he had no reason to feel it before, it was obvious now.

When he heard a loud giggle from the other bedroom and then a surprised yelp of pitched voice, _Yuuri´s_ voice, Victor felt a sudden heat rushing in his head and bit into the pillow involuntarily.

_Yeah. This is definitely jealousy._

\--

It took him almost half a year to finally admit to himself that he is endlessly and hopelessly in love with Yuuri Katsuki.

It was Tuesday evening, they were sitting in Phichit´s apartment and Victor was pretty much staring at Phichit combing Yuuri hair slowly. It was a bit longer compared to the first day they met. Yuuri was sitting calmly, scrolling something on Phichit´s tablet and those two looked so good together that it almost hurt his eyes. The fact that both were technically his employees didn´t make it better, either. He flushed and averted his sight reluctantly.

_I guess I´m just stupid to let it get the better of me._

He didn´t notice Phichit´s keen eyes; after a few more minutes the Thai put the comb away, leaned down and gave Yuuri a small kiss in his hair.

"Hey, Victor," he turned to him. "I was wondering whether you could assign Otabek Altin in my department."

Victor winced from his thoughts.

"Altin? That Kazakh, huh? I remember him, yes."

"Otabek? Come on Phichit, your job is completely different than his!" meddled Yuuri in the conversation.

"That´s true," Victor had to admit and watched as Phichit sighed dramatically.

"Too bad. I like him. I was just wondering if Mr. CEO here could do such a thing," he said and again looked at Victor.

"Probably yes," Victor shrugged his shoulders. He was still new in this position and frankly, didn´t go to work as regularly as he probably should.

"Okay. I´ll just quickly go to the grocery store to buy something small to eat. I´m sure it will be more than welcomed after we finish tonight," he winked, put on his shoes and jacket and slipped out of the door.

"Bye," called out Yuuri after him before the door closed itself.

"What?" he asked, surprised when Victor caught him still smiling.

Victor was staring for a few moments at that beautiful face until he somehow managed to reconcile again.

"Nothing," he managed to say. "It just suits you.. that smile."

Yuuri gave him one more smile and put the tablet away.

"Is that all? It feels to me that you _really_ want to ask me something."

Victor´s cheeks reddened which had to be very obvious given to his overall pale skin.

"Come on!" chuckled Yuuri, still smiling. "What it is?"

Victor gulped down to calm himself a bit.

"Yuuri, do you.. well, you and Phichit.. do you-"

He still couldn´t push it from his tongue.

Victor watched as Yuuri´s eyes widened when he understood the unfinished question.

"You mean if we´re together? As a couple?"

"..Yes," finally declared Victor, his eyes fixed on Yuuri.

"Hmm."

Yuuri´s sight fell to the right but he didn´t say anything.

"Do you love him?" asked Victor and felt a couple of sweat drops rolling down his spine. It was summer already and nights started to get hot.

"I love him.. in a way."

Victor´s heart skipped a beat.

"In a way?"

"Yes. I mean, we´re best friends. It´s obvious I care about him and even more now when we´re both witch hunters. I don´t want to see him hurt.. or worse."

For what Victor knew already, Yuuri was still relatively a newbie, albeit talented. Phichit, on the other hand, was witch hunter for several years now. In their terminology, he was already a veteran. Actually, when they had saved him, Yuuri was contracted merely for a month. If it weren´t for his dog´s unfortunate death, Victor wondered whether Yuuri would become a witch hunter at all.

"But I´m not sure if I love him.. that way. I´ve never-," started Yuuri but left the thought unfinished, his usually lively eyes suddenly looked nervous.

"But you two kiss," blurted out of Victor. "And other things, too.."

"What can I say to you? We´ve known each other for years.. none of us forced it, it just happened. I honestly didn´t expect it would continue when Phichit moved away but then I somehow got into this company and.. I was so happy to see him again I didn´t even notice how it started all over. Sorry, it probably bothers you, right? I´ve told him a thousand times that we shouldn´t do it in public, but.. you know how he is," Yuuri gave him an apologetic smile and Victor had to use all of his strength to keep sitting and not ran after him, embracing him tightly and begging him to smile more, more just for him.

"Victor?" asked Yuuri, concern marring his soft eyes.

_Fuck, it was probably written all over in my face._

"You can call me Vitya, if you want," flew out of him.

"Vitya..?" said Yuuri experimentally, trying to pronounce it properly. When Victor heard his name rolling like that on Yuuri´s tongue, it went straight deep somewhere within him and he had to remind himself to breathe properly.

"Yes. I like it more than Victor. It feels.. better. Can you call me like that, Yuuri?" he asked, not even hiding a plea in his voice.

Yuuri smiled again.

"Sure. If it makes you happy, I´ll call you whatever you like, Vitya."

Victor gasped. This was new and he wasn´t sure if he should try his luck once again but it seemed to him that odds were in his favour tonight.

He gulped down and then again looked into Yuuri´s eyes.

"Yuuri, since you and Phichit are _not_ dating.. would you go out with me?"

Now it was Yuuri´s turn to gasp from surprise, his brown eyes widen so much that Victor could almost spot his pupils. Just now he realized how close he´d gotten to his face.

"I-yes. I will," he breathed out softly.

Victor didn´t even realize when the door banged again and Phichit came back, jumping to Yuuri immediately. Nothing could destroy what he was feeling right now. He kept sitting on the chair, lost in thoughts and feelings.

_God, if you are still in there.. thank you._

\--

His first date with Yuuri was on warm June evening. He wished to be able to take him someplace better than his apartment, but..

He wasn´t allowed being involved romantically with his employees. Well, that was the theory. Victor already thought before how to resolve this but tonight his attention was very much distracted.

It was kind of awkward at first since it always has been the three of them lately, but now when he and Yuuri were all alone in his apartment it felt much more.. intimate. Yuuri was charming as always, his initial insecurity long gone and now was burrowing in his library energetically.

"Look, Vitya! I have the same book in my apartment. I didn´t know you like this author, too!"

Victor nodded and smiled while Yuuri beamed up and kept browsing his books one by one.

He was wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts and when he leaned down to the bottom shelf, Victor´s brain had definitely lost a battle with his groin. He had to bit his lip to get him distracted from the image in front of him.

"Yuuri, why don´t we have dinner? I made us something," he decided for more neutral activities.

Yuuri looked at him and nodded; his hair loose, almost touching his shoulders and his cheeks flushed from the heat and excitement.

_Crap._

_I should tell him already how gorgeous he looks._

_I should tell him.. everything._

Instead, he decided to return the smile to Yuuri and pointed to the kitchen.

_Not yet._

\--

And that was how his summer went. His relationship with Yuuri was evolving, albeit much more slowly than he was expecting. Victor had been dying to spend so much time with Yuuri as possible, getting to know him, getting closer to him; but in the same time didn´t want to put more pressure on Yuuri than he already was under. But it was obvious the feelings between them were mutual. Yuuri blushed whenever Victor got closer to him and enjoyed their short, stolen moments when their lips could join and their fingers entwined together.

"Vitya," breathed out Yuuri and moaned when Victor slightly bit him into his lip. "Don´t.. "

"Why?" chuckled Victor in his ear and started to nibble with it while licking the soft earlobe.

Yuuri muffled his mouth with his arm and when he finally opened up his eyes Victor could see how dark they were.

"You´ve been like this lately.. is something wrong?" he finally let him go and Yuuri could sit straight again.

"I..," started Yuuri but again left the sentence unfinished. He started fidgeting and Victor couldn´t believe he is looking at the same Yuuri whom he watched yesterday stabbing his knife into the witch´s core with so much determination his wrist almost disappeared in the dark mass.

"Let me guess - you feel bad because of Phichit," he declared.

"Partly," admitted Yuuri. "He has done so much to me I feel like I´m betraying him when I´m with you."

"But you never said you love him," pointed out Victor and his blue eyes scanned the pale chest in front of him. Just under the nipple still shined the mark he gave Yuuri two days ago. It was probably childish but Victor felt utterly proud of himself.

"I never promised him anything. I do love him in my own way, I just never thought I would meet someone like you.. someone who would want _me_."

"You´re always underestimating yourself," Victor put his head back on Yuuri´s chest and hugged him for comfort; his silver hair loose, spreading on his bare back like a blanket. Delighted, he realized that Yuuri started brushing his fingers through his hair - probably absent-mindedly, but careful enough not to tangle the long strains together.

"Victor, next week is the summer festival.. would you go with me?"

Victor stiffed. "Weren´t you supposed to go with Phi-"

"I´ll talk to him. I should have probably done it long ago. It just really sucks I have to hurt him. Vitya, look at me."

Victor tilted his head and moved a bit higher to relieve his neck muscles. Yuuri cupped his chin with his palms and his look was so intense that Victor had a feeling he is seeing right through him, to his very soul.

"Next week, I want to make it official. I want to go to the festival side by side with you, so everyone could see we belong _together_. You and me. Would you do it for me, Vitya?"

Victor´s breath stuck somewhere half-way to his lungs.

"Yes," he whispered. "Yes, I would do anything for you. I love you, Yuuri.."

His eyes watered when he realized this was the first time he had actually said it out loud, with Yuuri directly looking at him and not just chanting it quietly in his ears while the younger man accidentally fell asleep on his shoulder.

"I love you too, Victor."

Yuuri leaned down, pressed their lips together and Victor´s head already started to get dizzy. When he felt his mouth open, his tongue greeting his lover´s and Yuuri´s hands started to roam all around his body; Victor let himself be put on the soft sheets and allowed the pleasure to take him into oblivion.

\--

The weeks passed in no time and suddenly it was almost the end of the summer and Victor realized he was going to experience his first summer festival - and on the tops of that, with Yuuri.

He couldn´t get any more excited. So far, he had been with Yuuri on public only in official work meetings and since he wasn´t even in his department, they couldn´t do it very often if they don´t want to attract attention. But two weeks ago Yuuri decided to leave the company and found a job in the local bookstore, so Victor could finally metaphorically scratched off the "boss-employee" label from their relationship. But otherwise, everything stayed the same, although Yuuri didn´t visit Phichit so often than he used to do. They still went witch hunting together, though - Yuuri and Phichit were already accustomed to each other and usually fought with double combat attacks that were very effective.

"Ready to go, Victor?" Yuuri peeped from the bedroom of his apartment and when Victor nodded, slowly came out.

"Whoa.." Victor couldn´t help but the sight of Yuuri wearing yukata, light summer kimono, was incredibly beautiful. His eyes were trailing the dark-blue fabric with white obi until it came back to neatly combed black hair, now visibly long, freshly cleaned and still smelling like Yuuri´s shampoo.

"You look amazing," he admitted after he found his voice again.

"Thank you," Yuuri smiled at him and then almost burst in laugh when he spotted Victor´s yukata. Victor decided to wear a simple silver fabric with a gentle white pattern, almost non-visible with bare eye but still present. But that didn´t change the fact he was obviously wearing it _wrong_.

"Come, let me help you fix that," Yuuri came to him, his traditional sandals clapping on the floor.

Victor spread out his arms and let Yuuri unbind the knot and again started to wrap the fabric around him.

"I realized just now that this is pretty similar to your witch hunter´s outfit, Yuuri," said Victor after he gave Yuuri´s clothing a second look (and found out that the yukata hiding most of Yuuri´s body was arousing him even more as he expected).

"Ah.. I knew you would notice."

Yuuri gave him a small smile and continued to quickly fold the fabric and tying the knots once again.

Since Yuuri didn´t tell Victor what colour he would be wearing, he was pleasantly surprised that the pattern on his yukata matched his lover´s obi.

_His lover.. no, his partner._

That´s what it was supposed to be after tonight.

Victor leaned down and kissed Yuuri gently in his hair, breathing in the fresh scent.

"I love your hair, Yuuri."

"Oh, Vitya.. I was going to ask you if you would help me to shorten it after tonight."

"Yuuri, what are you saying? No! Please let it grow! Like I did!" he helplessly brushed his own strands with his fingers reflexively.

"Vitya, no. You can´t talk me this over. It gets in my way during fighting. One bad move and I could end up dead."

Victor couldn´t raise any objections for that and mentally ordered himself to stop being overly dramatic.

"But I´ve never seen such hair as you have," admitted Yuuri and took one of the strands in his palm, brushing the individual hair between his fingers. "You definitely shouldn´t cut them off."

"Hmm.. if you wish so, that let be it," hummed Victor and leaned onto Yuuri´s palm which ended up on his cheek, warm and steady.

Yuuri closed his eyes and kissed him; then pulled away a bit and again opened them up, brown eyes lost in the blue ones.

"Let´s make this a night to remember, Vitya."

Yuuri kept looking in his eyes until his own started to water and he couldn´t believe once again how he even deserved to have such a wonderful person in his life.

He pulled Yuuri closer and started to return his kisses.

"Victor, do you want some takoyaki?"

"You mean those octopus parts? To be honest, I like shrimps more.”

"Okay," beamed up Yuuri. "You stay here and I´ll get them to you in no time!"

He turned around and vanished, only his sandals clapping on the dry ground.

Victor smiled for himself and decided to take a look at the nearby kiosk.

_Yuuri loves these festivals, that´s for sure. Maybe I can get something for him, as a souvenir.. or maybe a lucky charm? I wonder if they´re selling something matching.._

"Good to see you again, _CEO_."

His thoughts were interrupted with a familiar voice.

"Phichit?" he asked, confused. He hasn´t seen him in last week but the official version in the work was that he was sick.

"I am, _partly_ ," declared Phichit and Victor winced. He always hated how much was this boy able to see inside his head.

"Stop it," said Victor angrier then he was meaning to.

"I will, soon. Don´t worry about it. May I have a word with you?"

Victor didn´t really want to talk with him right now. He always felt indebted to Phichit for saving his life and now when he and Yuuri started dating.. well, he could think of better ways how to spend his time.

"Sorry, but I´m waiting here for Yuuri-"

"That´s okay," interrupted him the Thai. "I know exactly where he is and can estimate when he will come back. Could you lose ten minutes for me?"

"Okay," capitulated Victor and let himself be led away from the music, laughter and running children.

Finally, they found a bench and Victor sat reflexively, while Phichit kept standing. Just now Victor noticed that he too was wearing yukata, dark-purple with golden obi.

"So," started Phichit and Victor transferred his sight above. "You are in love with Yuuri."

"I am."

Victor didn´t need to say more, this was obvious. And if not, the marks on Yuuri´s body were speaking pretty much for themselves. He wondered how many of them had Phichit seen.

Phichit took a breath before he continued.

"And he.. had chosen you, I believe."

Victor was looking directly into his grey eyes, glaring at him.

"He hasn´t told you anything?" he asked.

"I never said that," replied Phichit. But in his voice, face, eyes - it was written all over.

Victor now knew with certainty that Phichit loved Yuuri just as sincere as he.

For a couple of brief moments, they just stayed like that. Finally, Phichit started to speak again.

"Look, Victor. I understand Yuuri had made his own decision. It just.. took me some time to think about it. To accept it. And I realized time has come for me to decide for myself, too."

Unexpected as it was, Phichit has reached his hands towards Victors and took them in his own. Victor didn´t think it would be so _warm_.

"Victor, I´ll just tell you one last thing. I will no longer meddle between the two of you. If it´s for Yuuri - if it´s for his happiness – I´ll give up everything. Even if it´s.. he."

Victor couldn´t stop looking at those eyes with all that pain, sadness and love mirroring inside. Phichit looked calmly but Victor knew his heart was breaking apart with every word.

"I can see Yuuri approaching although he can´t see me yet. Whether you will tell him about this, is up to you. I am no longer part of it. Goodbye, Victor."

He turned around and wanted to leave but Victor caught himself grabbing at the purple sleeve of his yukata.

"Thank you, Phichit. For everything," he whispered, slowly let the fabric go and almost couldn´t bear those grey eyes still looking at him.

Phichit just nodded, finally unlocked his sight and mixed within the crowd passing by.

Victor could only sigh while looking the way he vanished.

_He really loved you, Yuuri._

They came back to Yuuri´s apartment only at night, Yuuri laughing and hiccupping, Victor half-carrying him by his shoulders.

"You probably shouldn´t have drunk so much, Yuuri. Now you will just sleep till the morning, huh?"

"I _wanted_ to. Otherwise, I might change my mind. Meet me in the kitchen; I just need to take something from my room."

Victor didn´t even manage to take a proper look on the full moon from the kitchen window when Yuuri came back, scissors in his hands.

"No.." started Victor. However rational his reason was, he still didn´t like it.

"Yes," replied Yuuri and put the scissors in his hands. "Do it, Vitya. Please."

Yuuri turned around the chair and sat with his back to Victor.

"Are you really sure? They suit you, a lot."

Yuuri didn´t reply, just gave him a sad smile and nodded. Victor decided he rather won´t be asking anything more from now on. It seemed to him that Yuuri deliberately omitted to tell him something important from his past and that was probably a reason why Victor still couldn´t see the bigger image clearly.

Without further words, he took the scissors in his hand and cut away the first strand, carefully hiding it in his pocket.

When Victor finished his work and handed the mirror to Yuuri he certainly didn´t expect a positive reaction. But Yuuri smiled widely and kept browsing his new style from all angles.

"I think this suits me, too. Good job, Victor," he gave him a wink. "And now.."

Still in the kitchen illuminated only in moonlight, Yuuri took off his sandals, brushed his hair a few times with his fingers and slowly started to untie the knot on his obi.

"What are you doing?" asked Victor, startled by a sudden change of the atmosphere.

"Well.. what would _you_ say I´m doing?" Yuuri again gave him his witty smile and after a while, the clothing started to be loose and opened up itself. Victor caught himself with his mouth half-opened and his own yukata started to be tight in _certain_ areas.

Obi fell on the ground and Yuuri came closer to him, his body radiating heat, the slight scent of alcohol and very faint, ephemeral odor of his shampoo.

"Please, make me yours," he whispered in Victor´s ears. "Do it for me, Vitya. I want you."

The heat came rushing in Victor´s head although he definitely drunk less than Yuuri.

_Like hell I could refuse._

"Yuuri.. I said it already, didn´t I? I would make anything for you. I love you."

He watched as Yuuri moved his sight back at him, his deep eyes lost in his own again.

That was the only answer Victor needed.

Carefully, he picked up Yuuri from the ground, kissed him and as if the body in his arms weighed nothing, slowly went to the bedroom.

\--

The following months belonged without a doubt to the happiest one in his life. Summer turned into autumn and he and Yuuri were feeling like teenagers all over again. Long walks in the park were taking turns with dates in cinemas in case the weather was marring their planes; weekends changed into kitchen battles and endless conversations about the colour of the furniture they wanted to pick up together or the names of their future dog. When Victor flipped over another page in the calendar he almost started to wonder why October the 20th was circled with a red pen.

But then it occurred to him instantly: it was his mother´s death anniversary.

_Jesus, the whole year has passed already?_

Victor shook his head and made a mental note for himself to buy flowers for her while he was putting two cups of coffee on the table.

"Good morning, Yuuri," he turned around to his most favourite person in the world after he heard slow steps coming from the hallway to the kitchen.

"Morning.." Yuuri leaned at Victor´s back, hugging him from behind. Victor chuckled when he heard a giant yawn.

"I just now realized what date it is.. Yuuri, just one more day and it would be exactly a year since we have met for the first time!"

"Really? Ugh, I completely forget to count it.. sorry, Vitya. But I´m so happy to have you," said Yuuri with a muffled voice and his head against fell on Victor´s shoulder blade. "I´m totally exhausted. Big witch is coming to the city and Phichit asked me for help so we´ve been thinking about strategy all night."

"Ugh, sorry to hear that. I guess I can´t help you with this, or..?" Victor managed to stuff Yuurion his chair behind the table like some overgrown baby.

"Probably not," Yuuri yawned again and grabbed a sugar-box and a small spoon. "You know what, I´ll probably skip work today and get a real sleep.. I will need it in the night."

"That´s a good idea, love. Will you still be there when I´ll come from work?"

"Yes, I should be," nodded Yuuri and reached out for the coffee.

"Good. It would haunt me forever if I couldn´t kiss you anymore."

Yuuri smiled and drunk his coffee at one dash.

The evening came and Victor could tell Yuuri started to get a bit nervous.

"Should I come with you two? Sure, I´m not that much of a help, but.."

"I don´t know, Victor. It could get pretty dangerous. You won´t be able to see a witch, plus you still could get injured."

"I think Phichit will heal me even after all that has happened between the three of us."

Victor was almost sure that even if it were only for Yuuri, Phichit wouldn´t let him die.

"Yeah, you´re probably right."

"Then it´s settled - I´m going."

Yuuri suddenly looked behind Victor and greeted somebody.

"Hey, Kyuubey."

Victor turned around but as always, didn´t see a thing. It seemed to him that the air fluttered at some point but that could be only game of his imagination. Sure, he knew that Kyuubey exists but never seen it in person. As it turned out, it was physically impossible to take a picture or video of the creature, so he only got that much information Yuuri and Phichit shared with him. In the end, he convinced himself that this was probably for the best. He never had any desires to stand against witches on his own, after all. But sometimes when he was alone, either at home or in the work after everyone else had left already, he could swear someone was watching him.

"Sorry, Vitya, but I have to go now," Yuuri stood up and transformed his finger ring into Soul Gem. The crystal was bright white and Victor often joked they don´t even need electricity - the light coming from the Soul Gem could make a day even from the darkest nights.

"Yuuri, I mean it. I´m going too."

Before Yuuri could raise any objections, Victor was already prepared.

"Sometimes I wish I was a teleporter," sighed Yuuri while opening up the doors. The weather was bad, it was raining cats and dogs and lightning strucks were crossing the sky.

"Come, both of you. We´re going to Phichit´s."

Victor slipped his hand in Yuuri´s pocket and when a reassuring grip came, he knew he made the right decision.

"Well, I´m not sure if this is such a good idea, Yuuri."

Phichit was frowning at the tall figure at his threshold.

"Well.. if anything, you would heal him, right?" asked Yuuri and Phichit sighed.

"Of course I will. I will take care of every citizen if this city and he is one of them. I just hope our strategy will work out. Walpurgis seems to be an insanely powerful witch. I don´t even want to think about what would happen if we _lose_."

"Phichit."

Yuuri let go of Victor and stepped out to his friend still standing in his anteroom. " _Don´t_ think about such things. We will make it, okay? I _promise._ "

Yuuri leaned down and embraced Phichit, their foreheads resting together. Phichit closed down his eyes and for a second, it looked just like during old times. A small quill of jealousy stung Victor somewhere in his chest but got lost a second after.

"Okay," Phichit again seemed to be himself and even winked at them. He and Yuuri both transformed and looked at the storm raging only several miles from them.

"Let´s go. I can´t wait to get back already and have a beer with you, Yuuri. It´s been ages!"

Both witch hunters stepped forward and Victor gathered all his determination while following them.

Of course, nothing went as planned.

Victor watched in horror as Yuuri with trembling hands finally laid Phichit´s body on the wet ground and slowly, almost intimately folded his palms on his chest. He stayed like there for a couple of moments but when the debris in the air started to approach dangerously close to them, he again turned to Victor.

"So.. I guess it´s up to me now."

Victor thought he misheard.

_No. This just can´t be true._

"No.." he whispered. "Yuuri, don´t.."

"Victor. There is no other choice for me now. There are several tens of _thousands_ of people in this city. Do you want all of them to die?"

Victor felt the gall rising in his throat when he heard those words. He _knew_ he should be thinking in a bigger frame, decide for the greater good, but he somehow couldn´t. Not when the life of his love was in stake.

"Yuuri," he involuntarily fell on his knees. "I beg you. I beg you, let´s run away. Phichit is gone and all other people are in evacuation shelters.. no one needs to know. We say we didn´t have another choice.. we say that that was the only thing we could do.."

He was babbling and was fully aware of it but nothing better came to his mind.

Some inhuman laughter echoed throughout the air and he almost screamed as his body started to feel the raw, primal fear of approaching death.

"Victor.. you know that those shelters are just provisory. When Walpurgis reaches this city, hundreds could die just from its mere presence. Could you really live with the blood of innocent children and their parents on your hands? I don´t believe you could. I neither could I. Not when I know I could do something to _prevent_ it."

Yuuri was standing firmly in front of him, his dark-blue vest open, his snow-white blouse under it spattered with blood. Similar to Phichit, his witch hunter clothes looked quite historical.

But now, Phichit was dead and it seemed Yuuri had chosen to die, too.

"No," he almost started to sob when he fully realized the impact of Yuuri´s words. "Yuuri, please, don´t.. it´s pointless.."

"Vitya."

Yuuri kneeled to him and embraced him tightly.

"Vitya, I love you so much. And I´m so glad I get the chance to meet you. You know, I´m still proud of myself when Phichit and I managed to save you. That was my first bigger rescue and also the reason I´m glad I became a witch hunter. I could save you, and hundreds of others. No one will take that away from me. Vitya, look at me."

Victor didn´t want to listen, but he did; he had to, it was his Yuuri´s words and he lived to hear them and do as they ordered him to.

"I believe we will meet soon again. Don´t worry."

Yuuri gave him a kiss and Victor could feel the strong taste of blood spilling in his mouth.

"Yuuri!" He broke the kiss. "You´re injured-"

"I know. But from now on we must take care of ourselves once again. Victor, please find yourself someplace to hide. At least you.. you must live. Would you do it for me? Please?"

Victor was now crying heavily, his tears dripping from his nose and cheeks as Yuuri once again asked him for something he couldn´t refuse.

When a girder hit the ground just a couple meters from them, Yuuri quickly turned his head back. The witch was coming close. The dust was flying everywhere, mixed with the rain and sticking to Victor´s wet face and filling out his lungs, immediately causing him to cough.

When his breathing finally came back to normal and he managed to wipe out his eyes with his sleeves, Victor suddenly realized Yuuri was no longer there.

As if in the nightmare, he saw him in the air, jumping from left to right; the dazzling white light shining like a shooting star.

_Yuuri.._

The light suddenly intensified and stung him sharply in the eyes; the clear flash kept illuminating the sky until it slowly vanished and after one last blink he managed to notice something falling from the sky.

It looked like.. a body.

His eyes went wide and lips start to tremble uncontrollably.

_No, Yuuri, no.. this can´t be happening.._

"DON´T LEAVE ME BEHIND!" he screamed out directly from his lungs and after that collapsed on the ground.

When Victor again came to himself he realized he was still lying on the same spot, Yuuri was nowhere to be seen and the world around looked as if it was just one step away from the apocalypse. Everything was floating, the air was sticky and hot and due to rain, he couldn´t even see properly.

He somehow managed to climb back on his feet and like a mad man he started to run to the place he saw Yuuri for the last time.

He was still there.

Just one glimpse was enough for him to see that Yuuri was indeed inevitably and forever _dead._

Victor burst in tears again, his loud, ugly cries echoing in the air; his fists hitting the ground again and again until his skin corrupted and he started to bleed.

"Why?" he yelled out, tears dripping from his lips. His eyes couldn´t even look at Yuuri´s poor wrecked body. "Why did you do it? You _knew_ you would die.. and you left me here alone! Why?! Answer me! Answer me, Yuuri.. Why didn´t you save yourself instead of me?"

He kept crying, collapsed on Yuuri´s body, clenching his trembling fists to Yuuri´s clothes, almost choking from everything he still wanted to tell him but couldn´t anymore.

_Is it true, your last words?_

A sudden, almost childish voice entered up his head and Victor winced. Just in front of him appeared a white creature, watching him closely with its _pink_ eyes while spinning his tail occasionally.

Victor´s mouth opened up from surprise and his sight cleared.

He recognized the silhouette Phichit and Yuuri had been talking him about.

"Kyuubey..?"

The animal didn´t answer, just came closer, his eyes almost painfully captivating.

_Do you really mean it, Victor Nikiforov? Are your feelings for Yuuri that strong? Is your desire so intense you would trade your own soul for it?_

Victor just kept looking at the animal, still puzzled. Why is this cat asking such nonsense about souls and desires when Yuuri is lying right here, cold and dead, right next to him, his Yuuri..

And then he suddenly _understood._

"You..," he watched as the cat sat only a couple inches from him. "Do you really grant wishes? If I would make a contract with you, will you fulfill it?"

_Of course. That is my work here. It seems you have awakened your potential after all._

"Then.." Victor again looked at the body lying next to him, but the sight was just too painful to bear. He at least took Yuuri´s hand and caressed his still soft skin.

_Yuuri said we could meet again.._

Victor´s sight fell back on the animal.

"I want to repeat my first meeting with Yuuri. But this time it should be different.. Instead of him, I will be the one that will protect him! I want to protect Yuuri Katsuki!"

He waited for at least some response, but Kyuubey´s face never changed. Instead, Victor suddenly felt a sharp, immense pain in his chest. He yelled, grasped his clothes so that he almost felt his fingers dug into his skin. And then it ended as soon as it started and in front of him, a clear blue crystal materialized from a thin air. Without thinking, Victor reached out his hand and took it, clutching it tightly to his body as if it belonged here. On the brink of fainting, he heard Kyuubey´s voice again.

_The contract is completed! You are now a witch hunter. So, go ahead and use your new power!_

And just like that, his world got again lost in the darkness and Victor was falling in the abyss, screaming and kicking while his consciousness was slowly fading away from his body.

The end of Part I.


	11. Victor, part II - The Endless Path

_Ugh.._

Victor was only slowly gaining consciousness again, distantly perceiving his alarm-clock beeping loudly and the warmth of the sun-illuminated room. He kicked away the blanket and half-asleep reached out for his phone.

It was 8:32 AM and on the screen shined the reminder of today´s welcome meeting as the new-elected CEO. Knowing that the meeting is supposed to start in less than thirty minutes definitely pulled him out of his sleep and he almost fell out of bed in an attempt to get up as quickly as possible.

It took him another half-second to realize that this is.. a past.

All of this had happened before.

He already _was_ CEO, he already forgot about this meeting once and after he finally got to the building he suddenly met..

_Yuuri._

The truth hit him as a sledgehammer and Victor fell back on the bed, almost bursting in tears when remembering Yuuri´s dead body. He wiped away his eyes reflexively and just then he realized that something is different.

On the fourth finger of his left hand shined a ring. Not the one he was dreaming about, the wedding ring; but quite a simple one, with clear blue crystal embedded in it. Victor never wore any rings so it hit him right in the eyes.

_So it wasn´t a dream. It really happened. I wished to save him.. and I came back in time._

It took him another moment to somehow reconcile from everything, but his next decision was simple: in a flash, he put on his suit and started to run to work.

If his theory was correct, he should meet his Yuuri.. once again.

Just after he slipped through the main door and mixed within people in the entrance hall, it happened. Exactly like before, he ended up on the floor and when his eyes started to look around, there he was: Yuuri helped him up and then started to apologize for knocking him down.

Victor´s heart almost exploded from the fact that Yuuri is again _alive_ and well and he had to use all his strength not to pull him closer and start kissing him right on the spot.

_He doesn´t know you yet._

Finally, he asked Yuuri to stop apologizing and after he fully relished looking in those beautiful brown eyes once again, he carefully leaned down and whispered Yuuri in the ears.

"Yuuri, I´m also a witch hunter now.. let´s join up in one team."

"Is that Victor Nikiforov?" asked somebody from the crowd around them and Victor sighed. He knew what was coming.

"Excuse me, I have to go now. I´m sorry!"

Victor turned away from the flushed, startled and very cute Yuuri and hurried to the conference room.

And just like for the first time, he also wished for that moment to last a little longer.

(later, the same day)

"Well.. witch hunter, you say."

Phichit´s eyes slowly examined him from his head to his toes.

"And when did you say you have contracted..?"

"Uhm.. a week ago."

"Okay, so why don´t we just test you out. Let´s see your abilities and _then_ we can discuss your assigning to our team. What do you say, Yuuri?"

Phichit turned to his left where Yuuri was standing. Yuuri gave Victor one more look, even smiled at him and then finally nodded.

"Good. See that trash can over there?"

Phichit pointed his finger at the empty old barrel probably from diesel or oil, rolling on the ground. Victor nodded.

"It seems you don´t have any other weapon. Yuuri, give me that bat, please."

After he turned back to Victor, Phichit handed the bat over to Victor.

"The stage is yours. We´ll observe from here."

Victor gave Yuuri one more look; he smiled in return and wished him 'Good luck'. Then he entwined his fingers with Phichit´s and stepped back to get a better view.

_Okay then._

Victor knew only by instinct what to do. He knew he couldn´t possibly tell them that this is the first time he even tries his new-gained abilities.

_Witch hunter.. I still can´t believe it._

Without further words, Victor slowly came across the empty parking space to the barrel. It was evening already, the sky full of thick clouds, this was his first day in work and moreover, Yuuri doesn´t even remember him.

It was more than enough for starting up a flame within him.

Victor twisted his ring and suddenly he was enveloped by immense silence - no cars honking from the nearby street, no birds singing loudly before the rain. He looked behind himself and Yuuri with Phichit were still standing there, hand in hand, immovable and stiff.

He gritted his teeth, took a bat and hit. The bat almost jumped away from the hard surface and Victor cursed, grasping it firmer.

He kept hitting, pouring all that sadness and anger from his heart until something clicked and suddenly, the noises returned and the world was back to normal. His sight fell to the barrel and with satisfaction, he noticed the crooked surface and almost destroyed bat in his trembling hands.

Phichit and Yuuri started to walk to him and he dropped the bat on the ground, finally allowing himself to fill his lungs with oxygen.

Yuuri gave him both thumbs up while Phichit was examining the barrel.

"Time-manipulation magic, huh? That could be pretty useful.. of course when the user is advanced enough to use it at its fullest."

"I´m sure he will master it in no time! Right, Victor?" Yuuri turned to him with his charming smile. Phichit´s expression softened and he too took Yuuri´s side.

"You´re probably right. I mean.. I´ve never even _met_ a hunter with such ability before. Things can get interesting from now on."

"Then it´s settled. Welcome to the team, Victor!"

Yuuri reached out his hand towards him and Victor felt his lips widen while his heart was jumping up like a crazy in his chest.

He touched his love again just at the moment the clouds broke and first drops of rain tickled him in his hair.

"Time to go, I guess. Let´s come to my place - there are plenty of things we should explain to you, Victor," declared Phichit and all three of them started to run, hiding from the rain.

\--

And so his life as a witch hunter began. They always met at the sunset after work - three Soul Gems shining in the growing darkness, searching for the witch. It wasn´t that Victor hasn´t seen a witch before (still as a regular human), but this time it was.. different. Very different. Suddenly, he was forced to learn everything from the beginning and very soon found out the unpleasant consequences of depleting his magical energy. Every night, his life was put on the line and if it weren´t for Phichit´s healing techniques or Yuuri´s keen reflexes he would be probably long gone. Slowly, but surely he started to explore his abilities and limits, pushing the border further and further by each witch hunting.

"Okay," Phichit stopped in front of the blinking portal that materialized from thin air, the barrier slightly trembling, marking the entrance to the labyrinth. "It seems that this witch is stronger than usual.. let´s repeat our strategy one more time."

All three of them stopped, already transformed. Phichit as the most experienced from them was standing in the front with Kyuubey by his side and was examining his Soul Gem thoroughly. The crystal was pulsing strongly, golden light mixing with Yuuri´s white and Victor´s icy-blue one.

"Depending on the witch´s abilities, I will start the attack. Yuuri, I´m counting on your predictions. Victor - you will get the final blow. Are we clear?"

The Thai locked his eyes with each of them individually until both Yuuri and Victor nodded in agreement.

_You hear me like this, right?_

Phichit´s voice appeared in his head, loud and clear, followed by Yuuri´s. Victor was still surprised that he could now speak with Yuuri telepathically. This was something he wasn´t able to do as a regular human and he could never get enough of it now. The only problem was that he still didn´t know how to speak _only_ with Yuuri without inviting also Phichit to the conversation.

 _Sure, Phichit. Let´s go, I´m starting to get a bit nervous,_ said Yuuri.

Victor could only agree. This was his first time using a real weapon he made. So far he only used borrowed swords from Phichit, but he quickly found out he was not a close-range warrior at all. Phichit and Yuuri had already a whole set of combat attacks and Victor´s usual role was to buy them time by distracting the witch.

But this was supposed to change tonight, hopefully.

 _Let´s go_ , Phichit´s voice broke his thoughts and together they stepped in the labyrinth.

They were welcomed with immense heat. Victor got quite used to that unpleasant, sticky warmness surrounding him in the maze already, but he still cursed reflexively and had to resist the urge to throw away his coat. He could do it – but in that case, a very carefully secured bomb shouldn´t be resting directly in his right pocket. It was almost amusing how the internet literally gave him a receipt to make his own explosives. The weight in his pocket started to grow gradually and he couldn´t wait to get rid of it already.

Yuuri and Phichit stopped midway and Victor almost bumped into them.

 _What is going on?_ he asked, confused.

 _See yourself_ , _Victor,_ replied Kyuubey, meddling between his legs.

They were standing on the brink of a narrow bridge that ended abruptly. The maze was uncommonly bright, azure heaven with no clouds spreading as far as he could see. He spotted at least two suns above them, shining brightly and reminding him the first day of spring. Under them, nothing could be seen - one more step and he would end up in a void. The hotness started to diminish and was replaced by a pleasant, cold breeze instead.

_Victor, focus! Don´t let it get to your head - none of this is real!_

Yuuri´s voice pulled him out of the dazzle and Victor blinked. He was right, of course; all of this was supposed to create a false feeling of safety for the prey.

_And I fell for it like a fish on the hook._

He suddenly felt ashamed.

 _I have a strategy already,_ Phichit´s voice was hurried, interrupting his thoughts. _Those strings are too thin to run on - I´ll make a way with my sashes. Yuuri, you start the attack. Victor, one of us will tell you the exact moment to drop the bomb. Please, be precise with time-stopping otherwise we´re all dead here._

Victor nodded and sweat of drop rolled down his temples.

Like the pressure of fear that he could kill the one he loved wasn´t bad enough.

 _We´re counting on you, Victor_ , Yuuri turned to him one more time and second after that jumped down into the void.

Just now Victor could see the full details of the labyrinth. Thin, almost hair-like strings were spreading through the space around him. It distantly reminded him of a spider-web. Except for this time instead of a harmless spider, savage witch was awaiting them on the other end.

Yuuri and Phichit were already running on the giant-size sashes that were bending under their weight; Phichit sending swords in the direction Yuuri had been telling him to. The witch had probably detected their presence and appeared - its fragile limbs holding firmly to the strings and eyeless head was turning towards the direction of the attacks. Yuuri´s ability was to see a glimpse of very soon future and thus he could predict where the next attack will appear. It was amazing power but it required a lot of concentration during which Yuuri was left out on mercy without much defense. Victor was almost growling from frustration that he could do nothing to help him or Phichit.. yet.

"Finally!" yelled out Phichit while pining the witch to one from his sashes with a giant sword. "Yuuri, NOW!"

Victor observed as Yuuri transferred himself with impossible speed right to the witch´s core and stabbed his heavy, glowing knife in the mass. The creature let out a whole spectrum of deep, guttural noises and one of his limbs started to slowly reach after Yuuri who was still dangerously close to the witch. His eyes were narrowed with focus and hair floating in the hot air coming from the witch´s presence while he was trying to hold the knife still in the moving mass.

 _Victor!_ Yuuri´s voice was restrained, his hands trembling with exhaustion.

 _Hold on, Yuuri!_ shouted Victor already on the half-way to him. One of his eyes quickly glanced at Phichit who was all red in face while maintaining the sashes firmly on the place. Victor´s hand reached out his pocket and he took out the bomb, still secured.

When his eyes locked with Yuuri´s, he nodded and twisted his ring.

The world stopped and colours suddenly seemed less lively, but Victor had no time to appreciate the scenery. He knew that in a couple of minutes, the spell will be canceled and time will flow once again.

Running like a crazy, he finally reached Yuuri, quickly pulled out his hand with the knife and then frantically start dragging him as far as possible so he wouldn´t get hit by an explosion. Victor assumed that Phichit should be okay due to further distance from the witch. After he carefully laid Yuuri on the widest sash he was able to find around him, Victor quickly turned back to the witch. He jumped forward as fast as he could, pressed down the switch button and with all his might threw the bomb exactly in the entrance Yuuri had already made.

_This should be enough._

He leaped back within the last seconds, already hearing a familiar clicking and then a huge explosion hit him in the eyes.

Victor yelled out and lost his attention; he missed the sash and started to fall into a void, only his silver hair fluttering around him in the air.

_No! Yuuri!_

A strong pull by his torso almost kicked him out of breath; he yelped and started to squirm uncontrollably.

"Victor, stop moving! I got you!"

Phichit´s voice came from somewhere above him and just now he realized that a golden sash is firmly wrapped around his waist and chest. He looked up and almost started to cry from relief: Yuuri was safe, smiling at him with his typical charming expression.

The labyrinth started to fall apart and he found himself on a cold ground of the bridge where they had specified the witch´s localization before.

_We actually did it.._

"Yes, we did! That was _amazing_ , Victor! Totally badass! You were so _great_!"

Yuuri was beaming up and started hugging him from the joy, his body soft and hot enough for Victor to _remember_.

Without thinking, he pulled Yuuri closer and kissed him.

\--

After that, things painfully started to resemble the past - Victor and Yuuri started dating, he could again take him to all his favourite places, he could again surprise him by doing exactly what he liked. Victor took it as his second chance and since Yuuri was already contracted he wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. Now he knew better than ever to be grateful for each new day with him. The life of a witch hunter was pretty rough by itself, not to mention that Victor decided to stay CEO as well. But life was far too short for endless worries and sooner than he had expected, the joy over having Yuuri back with him took the reins over him and he was just as happy as before. The same couldn´t be said for Phichit but just like last time, he stayed true to his character and very politely made a more place on the scene for the two of them. Of course, Victor was still terrified of the day when all the suffering and helplessness he already had to endure will come back to haunt him. But he always pushed those thoughts away, focusing only on presence; on Yuuri´s fingers entwined with his own, on his hot lips pressed on his skin, on that longing expression in his eyes.

Things were going so well that they had eventually decided to leave Japan for a very short vacation. The last couple of days in both of their jobs were pretty busy and the summer was at its peak, almost inviting them to take a rest. Victor bought last-minute air tickets, Yuuri packed the few of their belongings, one Grief Seed for both of them in case anything would happen and set off. Not even ten minutes after the plane took off Yuuri was already napping, his hand loosely lying next to Victor´s. Victor had noticed already that now when both of them were wearing rings, one could easily mistake them for a married couple.

He smiled for himself, stroked Yuuri´s hand gently and also let himself be drifted to sleep.

_I don´t want to see any witches for at least a week._

The vacation was short but refreshing. They both agreed not to focus on witches and everything connected with it since they didn´t want to invade the territory of the foreign witch hunters. Victor decided it would be for the best to take their minds off and just enjoy the vacation like regular humans. His enthusiasm was catchy and the next day Yuuri was laughing happily, his raven hair gently scratching Victor´s face as he clutched onto him. They spent their days on the sun, covered in sand and salt water; while nights belonged to tasting local specialties and later on each other´s bodies.

Those were wonderful three days and they returned relaxed, even a bit tanned, smiles still shining on their faces. The minute after Yuuri went to the bathroom, Kyuubey appeared in the living room and some bad hunch bit sharply into Victor´s insides. His stomach twisted and he suddenly _knew_ something had happened while they were away.

"Kyuubey?" he asked in confusion.

 _I couldn´t localize you by telepathy,_ replied the animal. _This might be big news to you, but Phichit is no longer here._

"What do you mean?" furrowed Victor. "Did he found a new territory?"

_No, this was not what I meant. Phichit died two days ago._

Victor kept staring at the animal who was sitting on the carpet with unchanged expression.

"You never lie," he finally pushed out of himself. "So that means.."

Kyuubey nodded.

Victor was still in vain looking for words, his head started to swirl.

_How is this even possible?_

It struck him deeply – he knew Phichit for two years already, it was his so-called mentor and also his _employee_ , for God´s sake.

"How..?" he asked and immediately regretted the question - but at the same time, he _had to_ know _._

The animal sighed and found a more comfortable position on the ground.

_It happened the day after you two left. We localized the witch and after entering the labyrinth, Phichit discovered a whole group of familiars inside. It was very unique for all of them to share one space, to say that at least. They seemed ready to hatch so Phichit decided to destroy them before they could do so. But familiars were awoken by his magic and witches started to appear, one after another. Phichit refused to run away from the labyrinth and start fighting them alone, but it was futile. Eventually, he managed to take down three witches and the fourth was almost defeated, when out of nowhere a fifth witch appeared and-_

"I think I´ve heard enough, Kyuubey" interrupted him Victor hastily while his mind was already elsewhere.

_This just can´t be true.. Phichit ended up torn to pieces by witches, how horrible is that? If Yuuri finds out about this.._

"Too late, Vitya."

A sad voice echoed in the room and Victor spotted his lover, pale as a sheet, holding onto the door he was standing next to.

Yuuri was staring at the animal without any words; his eyes wide and lips trembling. Only after another minute of silence, Victor understood that they are _communicating_.

"Don´t tell him about it!" he almost shrieked, abruptly breaking the stillness; but the damage was already done and Yuuri fainted, caught by Victor´s embrace in the last seconds.

"Yuuri?!"

Victor never learned all details about Phichit´s unfortunate demise. After hearing that news Yuuri fell into a deep depression and refused to eat, almost crying out his eyes under the bed sheets. Since it was the least he could do, Victor tried his best to comfort him. But then days merged into weeks and Victor found out with horror that October is coming again. He could feel it inside of himself this time: the growing, biting sensation of something horrible coming.

Walpurgis was already on its way.

"Yuuri, my love.. please wake up."

Victor was leaning over Yuuri´s head, covered in blankets. Lately, he at least slept. Victor hated himself for putting relaxation pills in his tea, but it seemed to work for a bit. He knew that Yuuri would probably become more or less himself again, but there was something that both of them were desperately lacking: a time.

"Vitya.. what is going on?"

Yuuri´s sleepy eyes bored into his and Victor kneeled on the ground to match his eye level.

"Yuuri.. you don´t feel it? The Walpurgis arrival?"

His partner sighed - although he had just woken up, his eyes were looking tired all the time.

"Of course I´m feeling it," nodded Yuuri. "I´ve been thinking for a bit.. me and Phichit, we had prepared a strategy against Walpurgisback then. I think we could use it."

"But Yuuri.. will you be okay? You don´t even hunt anymore.."

"Vitya," Yuuri´s eyes again found his own, his warm hand finding him under the blanket. "I just needed some time.. for myself. I can´t even describe how grateful I am to you for always cleaning up my Soul Gem. Of course, I understand you are terrified. I am, too. This is my first time experiencing Walpurgisnacht. Sure, Phichit told me some details, but.."

Victor almost winced when he realized that Yuuri really didn´t remember what happened one year ago; how he _died_ what led to Victor making a contract on his own. He quickly shook his head and again came back to the presence.

"From tomorrow, we will start practicing our strategy. We are now this city´s last hope, Victor. We have to."

His sight firmly attached to Victor´s, who could only nod and squeeze his hand in return.

_Even if I won´t make it.. you have to live, Yuuri._

The warm droplets of rain were running down his face, mixing with ash and dust.

_Again.._

_How could this happen again?!_

Victor was on the verge of crying and Yuuri was the only reason he at least tried to keep his composure together. The strategy they had prepared was successful in the beginning, but they horribly miscalculated Walpurgis´s abilities. Maybe if there were three or four of them..but it was pointless now. The battle was lost.

Yuuri again woke up, his face wry with pain. Even without any special knowledge Victor was sure that his injuries were fatal; he has been repeatedly fainting and gaining consciousness just to collapse a minute after. Victor wanted to go back, just to twist his ring and all of this would be in the past. But Yuuri refused and asked him to stay by his side till the very end. Victor couldn´t blame him - he had never told Yuuri his wish and therefore Yuuri couldn´t possibly know just how _far_ he could travel back in time.

"Vitya.."Yuuri whispered, his face pale as a sheet, eyes mirroring with pain. He started to reach out for Victor who was already gulping down the tears and was just one step of collapsing himself. If watching Yuuri die once was incredibly painful, seeing it _again_ was almost unbearable. It was pure torture.

Suddenly Yuuri´s arm stopped midway, his face twisted even more and he started to pant heavily, fingers frantically searching for something. When he found his Soul Gem and grasped it firmly, Victor almost couldn´t believe his eyes - the usually white crystal was now almost black and something was _swirling_ inside. Yuuri let out a horrible, almost inhuman scream and in a heartbeat, the glass shattered and the shockwave threw Victor away. His body fell hard on the ground and it almost knocked his breath out. When he finally recollected himself, he saw something terrible.

As if the Walpurgis wasn´t back enough, a witch emerged out of nowhere, just from the place Yuuri was lying. Victor could already see a maze forming itself and Yuuri´s body started to vanish in front of his eyes.

_Why?!_

_Why is this happening?_

Another wave of hot air almost brought him on his knees, his eyes wide in shock and his hair messy; wind kept smashing it in his face all the time. When even the last bit of Yuuri disappeared in the labyrinth, he felt as if his heart was torn out from his chest and ripped into countless pieces in front of him. But the truth remained.

After all, he saw it with his own eyes. How the witch arose _from_ Yuuri´s Soul Gem.

Before he could start to lose consciousness, Victor twisted the ring once again, praying for strength and for saving Yuuri once and for all.

\--

_Beep.._

The sound of the alarm clock filled out the room.

Victor kicked away the blanket and sat up in bed sharply.

The image of Yuuri, bleeding and in pain; screaming when the witch arose from him, was like burned out in his brain.

It happened _again_ \- he failed. Except for this time, he had also discovered something extremely disturbing.

_Each witch hunter will eventually change into a witch._

It was sick, but unfortunately, it had to be true. No wonder Kyuubey was nowhere to be seen when he and Yuuri needed him at most.

The alarm shrieked again and Victor winced reflexively.

His brain only distantly perceived that it is Monday morning, he had to go to the work and both Yuuri and Phichit are still alive and well in this time.

 _I have to tell them as soon as possible_ , he thought immediately. _Everyone is being deceived by Kyuubey!_

"I don´t believe a word from this."

Dark eyes of Otabek Altin darted into his and Victor almost winced from surprise. Otabek always seemed so calm and.. well, quiet. Nobody has been complaining about him and his work assignments were finished long before the deadline. Moreover, his team belonged to the best in the whole department.

But right now, he had been frowning on him and keeping his distance, using a tone he never heard from him until now.

Victor quickly found out that in this timeline Yuuri was unfortunately contracted already, as well as Phichit and Otabek. Victor joined them after work for witch hunting and tried to share Kyuubey´s hidden secret with them, but sure wasn´t expecting such lukewarm reaction. Otabek didn´t believe him in the slightest bit and Phichit´s face was speaking for itself. He had always been closer to Kyuubey than everyone else, almost considering him a pet; moreover, it seemed that the creature didn´t mind it at all. After seeing that this path was closed, Victor turned to Yuuri who had always taken his side so far; but he too didn´t seem quite convinced. Victor knew his own words are not nearly enough close to tangible evidence, but it was all he got. He could barely tell them that this is a third life he is living now and he had seen them die more than once.

"Why would Kyuubey lie about this, anyway? It seems like a completely made-up story. Perhaps your true goal is to turn all of us against each other. Is that so, Mr. CEO?"

"No!" Victor had to already grit his teeth from frustration. "Why won´t you listen? I´m telling you the truth, I swear!"

"And I´m asking again - where is your evidence? All you had offered so far were words, just empty words. It reminds me of that brat from the neighboring town. You two are probably working together, planning to divide the territory, after-"

"Otabek! I think you said more than enough. I mean, Victor is our _superior_ , for heaven´s sake," declared Yuuri. "And according to your logic, you cannot accuse somebody _without_ the evidence, right?"

Otabek almost growled and then again glanced at Victor.

"Fair enough, Yuuri. Even so, I´m still against teaming up with him. I don´t want to end up with half of my body burned again. One time was enough, thank you very much."

Victor opened up his mouth to defend himself just to close it a second after. It was true that he miscalculated the distance of all hunters from the epicenter of the explosion, but nothing of it was on purpose. He just wasn´t used to working in four instead of three or two. He _really_ wanted to entwine his fingers with Yuuri for more support but Victor had to again remind himself that in this relationship he is more than two years ahead of him.

"That´s true. If I didn´t heal Otabek on spot, God knows what could happen. You, Victor.. do you have any other weapons than explosives?" asked Phichit, his grey eyes looking at him.

Victor didn´t move his eyes away, hoping his pretended courage would be enough to convince him.

"I will think of something. Don´t worry."

Except he had no idea _what_ to do.

"May I join you?"

A voice found his way to his head; a voice he knew so well and longed after him for so long.

Victor quickly turned around.

"Yuuri?"

Yuuri was standing in the small anteroom leading to a study hall, smiling timidly and peeping at him through his glasses with dark-blue frame.

"Of course," finally fell out of Victor and he quickly moved his chair to make a more room for both of them.

Yuuri smiled again and quickly put his jacket on the hanger together with his cap and oversized scarf.

"So.. what are you reading?" asked Yuuri, pointing on the book lying in front of Victor, untouched.

"Well.. uhm.. since I was told I need to find a new way of defeating a witch, I´m.. looking for inspiration."

Yuuri turned the book so he could look at the front page, but decided to pass on the comments. Victor was glad for that. He still didn´t know what was he looking for in the library but it was the first that came to his mind.

"Look.. I might know something that could help you," said Yuuri, putting the book away.

"Really?" Victor´s loud, surprised voice echoed in the room but luckily no one was around.

"Victor, did you ever heard about summoning magic?" asked Yuuri quietly, his eyes carefully watching the front door of the hall.

"Summoning? I guess so.."

"I heard it from Otabek, actually. I believe this way your problem could be pretty much solved. All it would take is to have storage of weaponry someplace and just summon exactly what you need."

Victor´s eyes widened.

_If this would be possible, then.._

"Do you know how to do it?" he asked while he was secretly breathing in Yuuri´s sweet scent.

"My magic is different," Yuuri shook his head. "And technically I´m still a beginner, but I imagine it this way.."

Yuuri leaned in and quickly whispered Victor all details in his ears. Victor understood that this had to be done as quietly as possible; they couldn´t risk some civilian eavesdropping behind the door.

"Just try it and you will see. For example that book over there - the one with the blue cover, standing in front of the others?"

Yuuri winked and Victor couldn´t believe how cute he could get in one millisecond.

"I bet you can do it, Victor," encouraged him Yuuri.

That was all Victor needed. He nodded and his eyes darted firmly on the book, carefully noticing all the details. Dark-blue cover with golden letters, one corner crooked and the small brown spot just next to the letters. Children´s book, probably.

He closed his eyes, building the very same image as he just saw in his mind. And then he started to concentrate; to imagine that the book is already in his arms while trying to push away anything else. His palms started to feel warm, he reflexively clapped and suddenly he could feel the weight of the book already touching his fingers. Surprised, he opened up his eyes but missed to catch it and the book fell on the desk with a loud thud, opening up and revealing pages full of small letters.

Yuuri started to giggle as he tried to muffle his laugh.

"See? I told you that you can do it! And now maybe that purple one, two rows under?"

Victor again took a look, closed his eyes and before he knew it the purple book appeared in his hands - and this time he even managed to catch it. It was unbelievable - his primary magic had to be summoning and he could only wonder why it hadn´t manifested sooner. Book after book, all jumped from the shelves just to appear in his hands.

_If only I could do this back then when we were fighting against Walpurgis.._

The joy froze on his face.

"Is something up, Victor?"

Yuuri probably noticed the change in his expression.

"I.. I´m just probably tired. We should clean this up before somebody notices. But.. I have an idea. How about we go for a cup of coffee? I invite you - as thank you for helping me with this," Victor managed to smile. No matter how much time has passed, asking Yuuri out on the first date was always connected with butterflies in his stomach.

Yuuri gave him a surprised look. His face stayed coy and innocent as always, but his eyes lit up with excitement. To Victor´s satisfaction, he smiled and nodded.

Months passed and things started to blend in for Victor. This was the third time he was dating Yuuri and although he couldn´t remember all the details, he remembered the important ones. Who cares if they are going to watch the same movie again, or going to the same places and the same restaurants. For Yuuri, it was all new and Victor´s only concern was to make Yuuri happy. After he added a broad range of different weapons in his attacks, he became much more powerful and only kept gaining experience. The four of them usually divided into two groups with Phichit and Otabek forming one team while Yuuri and Victor another one, but sometimes the circumstances made them regroup together to fight more effectively.

In the middle of the summer, an unexpected visitor came from the neighboring city - young, pale and always pissed off boy named Yuri. Victor quickly became fond of him although it was clear the relationship was only one-sided. After a long and thorough discussion between all of them, it was decided that Yuri was allowed to join them despite him and Otabek´s visible tension. Victor believed this was just temporary and those two would eventually get along. In this city swarmed by witches, every hand skilled enough to hold a weapon was useful. If Victor was correct, there were now five experienced witch hunters what should give them a solid chance against Walpurgis. He already knew that this monster cannot be defeated alone or in pair. Things were good, almost too good - and Victor could swear something will surely fuck up on the way. Unfortunately, he wasn´t gifted in predicting the future and Yuuri´s mind had its limits, too. The only question remained was _when_ it will happen. And although he couldn´t get enough of Yuuri - he could never truly get enough of him - those thoughts were attacking him like persistent flies, robbing him of the sleep and precious moments with the only true love he ever had.

"Yuuri," Victor was murmuring against Yuuri´s head covered in a blanket. "Tell me about it once more.."

"Mhhm, Vitya.. you´re still not sleeping?"

Yuuri´s messy hair stuck out from under a blanket and his warm breath reached Victor´s skin.

"No.. I couldn´t sleep. Tell me one more time how you became a witch hunter."

Victor couldn´t possibly tell Yuuri the truth: that he tried to fell asleep three times already but his mind was playing sick games with him, showing him things he _didn´t_ want to see again. He needed something to take his attention far, far away from it.

"Didn´t I tell you about it a thousand times already?"

"That´s okay, Yuuri. I will be happy to hear it for the thousand-and-first time if it´s from you."

Yuuri finally opened up his eyes and pulled Victor closer to him under the blanket. His warmth and calm immediately relaxed Victor, he breathed out from relief and almost immediately closed his eyes.

"Well since you asked so nicely.. It was around a year ago, I guess. Otabek and I were going from work and Phichit was taking a day off. It was evening already and the sun was just setting.. it was nice. So here we were, chatting and heading home.. But suddenly the weather changed and before you could say a word, we were standing in some vast place and mirrors started to appear, one by one. Can you imagine that? They suddenly started to mist up and when I could finally see clearly, I spotted.. us. Millions of our copies were watching at us from the glass, face ugly and twisted.. I remember almost freezing to the ground with fear. Then Otabek started to shout and pointed his hand to the left. The copies were alive! They started to arise from the glass, creeping its way to us.. None of us knew what to do. Luckily before anything could happen, Phichit appeared out of nowhere, everything got covered in golden light and vanished. And that was it. He saved our lives that day. Shortly after that both of us decided to become witch hunters and join him to protect people in this city.. to protect everything we care about. You´re so quiet, Vitya. Did you fall asleep? Hm?"

Victor could hear Yuuri´s sweet voice but his mind was already shut-off, his body heavy and numb, clutching to Yuuri´s. He just wanted to sleep; to finally sleep long enough and never let Yuuri go.

Suddenly the body next to him winced and Victor heard a voice in his head.

_Phichit and Yuri need help. Hurry!_

_Fuck._

The thoughts of sleep were long gone and both him and Yuuri transformed in a blitz and then ran down to the streets, focusing only on the furry white tail bobbing in front of them.

The scene in front of them was hideous. The humanoid-like witch was slowly moving in the labyrinth full of sand while Yuri was jumping from left to right, dodging every attack he could with his daggers and protective barriers. Victor barely managed to jump away from a giant motorcycle wheel that appeared out of nowhere.

"Phichit!"

Yuuri´s voice shouted right next to him and he spotted Phichit on the ground with his thigh covered in blood. He was panting heavily while trying to heal himself as soon as possible.

 _What happened?_ asked Victor telepathically while taking out fresh-loaded guns from his gun belt, already eying on the witch.

 _I_ \- Phichit´s voice was visible in pain and exhausted. _I actually don´t know. I remember speaking with Otabek since he was pretty upset during the last couple of days when Yuri appeared out of nowhere. You know that those two were always bickering together.. but suddenly, Otabek somehow vanished and witch appeared, exactly from the place he was standing on.. We started to fight but the witch is too strong-_

 _Don´t speak, Phichit, focus on healing,_ ordered him Yuuri. _Victor, we have to join Yuri immediately. Ready to go?_

Blue eyes found the brown ones and Victor nodded.

_Let´s go, Yuuri._

They both jumped forward, Yuuri´s predictions helping him to stay away from witch´s attacks. Yuri was covering them with his daggers as Yuuri slowly progressed to the witch´s core. As the fight kept progressing, Victor noticed that the barriers around them are starting to tremble and fade, which could mean only one thing. Despite all of his effort, Yuri was on the brink of collapsing, his whole body trembling with exhaustion and face twisted in anger.

"Just _what_ did you do to Otabek, you monster?" Yuri kept screaming and throwing dagger after dagger until suddenly his attacks stopped, his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

_Victor!_

Kyuubey´s voice meddled in all that chaos and Victor jumped, catching the boy just by a glimpse. He carefully laid him on the ground; Yuri´s eyes still open, green and wide and his whole body stiff.

_I got it!_

Yuuri´s voice echoed right within his head and Victor knew that the fight was finally over. Indeed, in the next couple of minutes, the labyrinth slowly fell apart and the everpresent sand was replaced by a cold asphalt ground of the sidewalk. The street lamp above him turned on and illuminated the gloomy scenery around.

"Hey, get off me," growled an angry voice under him. Victor turned his head back to Yuri who glared at him, pushed his hands away and slowly sat up, coughing.

"Is that a thank you for saving your life?" almost pouted Victor but his attention was elsewhere.

_Yuuri?_

_Coming_ , came the answer. _I had to find the Grief Seed. And I found also something else._

"Shut it, old man."

Yuri was again standing straight and Victor quickly got up from the ground, too.

"Was that-" Yuri´s voice was now uncertain and strangely quiet, "That witch.. according to what you have said before, was it.. Otabek?"

Yuri´s eyes were again darting at Victor who managed only to nod. What should he say, anyway? Bragging that he was right after all?

"I´m sorry," he whispered. "I never wanted any of this to happen, Yuri, I-"

Victor´s voice was interrupted when something large and golden quickly wrapped around him tightly. He yelped from surprise, squirming helplessly.

Some sharp and thin thing flew through the air and hit Yuri´s Soul Gem, standing on his palm. The boy shrieked from pain, fell back and the crystal rolled away from his fingers and stopped glowing immediately. In a flash, his witch hunter´s clothes vanished and were replaced with his regular ones while the body was left lying there without any movement.

"Yuri!" screamed Victor, desperately fighting in vain with the fabric.

_Who..?_

"So it _was_ true, after all."

Victor´s eyes went wide as he recognized that voice.

"Phichit?!"

The Thai stepped out from the shadows and slowly started to walk towards him. His cheeks were wet with tears and his arm was shaking as he pointed one of his swords directly to Victor´s open throat.

"If every one of us will eventually turn into a witch.. then it´s better to die now, isn´t it? Luckily both you and me will be long gone before it happens."

Phichit´s eyes were dark, darker than ever as he was whispering those crazy words for himself; his arm sliding lower until the sword pinpointed the skin just above Victor´s sternum. Victor gritted his teeth helplessly, still in shock seeing Phichit like that. Sweat rolled down his temples as he kept darting his eyes into the grey ones, trying to spot at least a bit of sanity. But it was futile - Phichit obviously snapped. He killed Yuri without a second thought and now he will kill him, slicing his throat up like a butcher.

 _No_ , thought Victor frantically as the coldness of the blade on his veins almost started to burn him, _stop it, leave me alone!_

He wasn´t sure if Phichit could perceive his thoughts but suddenly he heard quick steps towards their direction, the Thai got distracted and turned his head to the left.

Out of nowhere, Yuuri appeared; quiet as a ghost, his eyes glaring. In a second he was already standing behind Phichit, tilting his head back as if he wanted to kiss him; Phichit´s eyes went wide and he yelped from surprise.

"Yuur-"

The sentence was left unfinished as Yuuri´s knife found its way and stabbed exactly to Phichit´s golden, faintly glowing Soul Gem. Phichit gasped, his lips still moving without a sound until he dropped the sword and fell back directly in Yuuri´s open arms.

All of it couldn´t last more than a few seconds.

Victor watched the scene with his eyes wide open, only distantly perceiving the sash around his body dematerializing and vanishing in the air. He reflexively huffed from relief, finally being able to breathe freely.

Yuuri kept standing in front of him until he slowly kneeled and laid Phichit´s body on the ground, only a couple of feet from Victor. His shoulders started to tremble as he crouched and put his face to his hands.

"Yuuri," said Victor, his voice weak, almost forgotten, as he reached out for him to pull him closer. Yuuri let him, his body numb like a ragdoll, his tears sliding down Victor´s neck.

"I can´t.. I just _can´t_ live like this," Yuuri´s voice was broken with a cry, his fists clenching to Victor´s clothes. "Vitya, I don´t know what to do anymore.. what is happening? Just.. _why_?"

Yuuri kept crying uncontrollably; his loud sobs echoing in the space around them. When Victor´s own body started to shudder and he could feel tears pushing away from his eyes, he finally let his emotions flow freely. With a cry, he embraced Yuuri even tighter while cursing Kyuubey and the whole world to torture them like this.

"It looks like this time it´s over for both of us.. huh, Vitya."

Victor slowly opened up his eyes as Yuuri´s voice found its way to reach him.

It was dusk, only street lamps were blinking above their head from time to time. Impossibly thick clouds were lazily flowing in the sky, changing the scenery every second.

"Mhm," he chimed in, turning his head towards Yuuri.

They were both lying on the ground drenched with muddy water; their clothes filthy and ripped. Victor felt a sharp pain just somewhere under his ribs and he didn´t dare to look at the wound in detail. He could already feel the familiar dizziness, his head hurt and knew that his Soul Gem will soon reach its limit. Just one glimpse at Yuuri told him that his love was probably feeling the same.

No one was left to heal or save them; they were alone. Despite knowing it was pointless from the beginning, they still had to try. But Walpurgis had defeated them - again.

Yuuri moved his hand crossed with Victor´s, his Soul Gem dark and rolling in his palm. Although visibly in pain, he still managed to give Victor a small smile. Victor´s heart clenched to see him like that.

"Do you have any Grief Seeds?" he whispered, hoping he could at least save him from the pain.

Yuuri slowly shook his head, his beautiful raven hair completely wet already.

"Me neither," sighed Victor sadly. "Yuuri.. say.. you have to feel it too.. that our time is coming. I- I want to stay with you. Let´s change to witches together and bring this world to dust. Let it pay for all of this."

It sounded crazy, but Victor was already feeling like a madman. He wanted to save Yuuri from the depth of his heart, but at the same time kept failing and failing, drowning in despair. Was he doomed to return again and again, to repeat one year over and over? Will his wish ever be fulfilled?

"Witches arose from negative emotions.." he started to ramble for himself. "If we´ll destroy everyone and everything, there will be no more of them.."

Some heat started to spread inside of him, his mind clutching to it reflexively.

"Yes," he whispered and again closed his eyes.

This was right, wasn´t it?

"I want to blow it apart.. to blow everything apart. Doesn´t that sound nice?"

He almost felt as if he had died already and woke up in the afterlife. The pain was gone in instant, his breathing became calmer and life was again flowing freely in his veins.

_Life..?_

"Yuuri?" he winced, his eyes wide open, only to notice Yuuri´s trembling fingers holding a Grief Seed. The egg was touching Victor´s Soul Gem, pulling the darkness away while the crystal was shining brighter and brighter any second. No wonder the dizziness vanished instantly.

Yuuri coughed and used Grief Seed fell out from his hand. Compared to Victor´s, his Soul Gem now looked terribly dark.

"Yuuri!" yelled Victor desperately, pulling him closer. "Just why.. you said-"

"I know. I lied," Yuuri´s muffled voice came from somewhere from his chest. Victor quickly leaned down closer to his face, still in disbelief.

_Yuuri sacrificed himself for me.. again._

"But I only did it because there is something I want to ask you to do.. and you are the only one who can do it."

Yuuri´s voice was terribly quiet in all that mess around him, but Victor heard him loud and clear. He kept embracing him gently, not to worsen the pain, his eyes already welling with tears.

"Victor, listen up to me.. I know you can go to the past, right? Can you do something for me?"

Yuuri´s eyes found his own and Victor could almost see how much Yuuri wanted to say with them; his face mirroring his feelings, tears running down his cheeks.

"Could you stop my stupid self before Kyuubey tricks me again?"

A small cry escaped from Victor´s throat, but he just quickly wiped his eyes and swallowed down the tears while nodding.

"I promise, Yuuri. I´ll definitely save you."

He pulled him closer and kissed him, their lips very gently brushing against each other.

_They are still so soft.. even now._

"Thank you," whispered Yuuri to his ear.

Victor gently put him again on the ground since he could feel Yuuri´s poor wrecked body trembling with exhaustion everywhere. The minute he touched the ground, Yuuri started gasping for air, his torso crouching and let out a scream that torn Victor´s heart in two. He knew what was coming.

"Vitya," pushed Yuuri through his gritted teeth. "There is one more thing I would like to ask you to do.. I don´t want to change into the witch. A lot of things had happened but I´m still thinking about the ones I wanted to protect, the ones I have to leave now.. But please, I don´t want to die as a monster. It hurts so much.. Could you.."

The sentences were short as Yuuri tried to save his breath and his eyes were still frantically looking for Victor.

Although Victor hated it and hated himself, he nodded and took out a gun from behind his back and slowly put it to Yuuri´s Soul Gem.

"We will see each other again," said Yuuri, his voice restrained. "I believe in it."

Victor´s hand was trembling terribly and he had to keep it in place with the other. The rain was pouring down and marring his sight and he was almost grateful for that. He never thought that the day would come when _he_ would be the one putting Yuuri to death. And although he knew that after this he would twist his ring and start a new chapter, some things will never be erased from his memory.

"Vitya-"

Victor closed his eyes and pulled the trigger.

\--

And so he kept returning.. and returning. In every timeline, Victor tried from all his might to save Yuuri, but it was futile. It turned out that killing Kyuubey didn´t solve anything, as well as attempts to persuade other witch hunters about its hidden intentions.

_No one will believe in the truth.. no one will believe me. But I don´t need them to understand or accept me. As long as I will stay true to my wish, one day, eventually.. I´ll certainly save Yuuri, no matter the cost!_

Fight after fight, life after life - Victor kept meeting the same people, living through the same things. Walpurgis always brought him to the brink of death every time he faced it but that didn´t stop him. If anything, it even boosted his adhesion to life. He kept fighting witches alone so he would minimize the risk for Yuuri to get injured by accident or didn´t gave Kyuubey a reason to push him for contracting. His forgetfulness was long forgotten. Each memory of Yuuri, lying and bleeding on the ground, with his Soul Gem just one step from cracking was carved in in his memory and reminding him why was he fighting and what was the sole purpose of his life.

But every decision bears also its consequences. Victor realized too late that it wasn´t wise to change fate by twisting the ring on his finger whenever he concluded that Yuuri was beyond saving already. To his horror, the more he kept returning in the time, the further he and Yuuri drifted apart. It started with simple things: instead of going out Yuuri preferred to be just friends. Their telepathic connection worsened each time he got back until it was lost permanently. And the charming, lovely Yuuri he knew from the beginning was gradually changing to timid, more introverted person. Victor wasn´t sure _what_ was happening exactly and started to get desperate as Yuuri was slowly, but surely slipping away from him. It was a cruel outcome he wasn´t expecting, but in the same time, he knew he couldn´t possibly surrender to despair - if he would change into a witch, he wouldn´t be able to return anymore and both him and Yuuri would stay cursed forever. Instead, he could do only one thing: to repeat the same year over and over until his goal would be accomplished. Victor had to immure himself as Yuuri gradually kept forgetting about him; as the bubble he was living in shrouded around him more and more while Victor was left out, watching it from away. It fucking _hurt_ , but he didn´t have a choice. The tears were meaningless already and he knew it - his own soul was lost in the moment he traded it for his wish.

\--

_Shit! And I thought this time it would be different..._

Victor gritted his teeth. The witch was particularly persistent, literally laughing in his face with that obnoxious head. Everything around was floating, lamps blinking, buildings collapsing one after another, the hot air around him fluttering.

_What a mess._

Why was he even thinking about it, anyway? It was _always_ like this. He saw another giant girder flying in his directions and quickly moved away.

 _Fuck. Now it´s not time to lose attention_.

He closed his eyes, clapped his hands. Crystal blue flash and suddenly machine gun appeared in his hands, fully loaded and he shot all that he got at that hideous creature. Cloud of dust disabled his sight for a moment, but he knew that it couldn´t possibly be enough. He jumped on one of the few trees still standing and crouched for a moment.

 _I guess I have to use something bigger_.

He was just about to close his eyes and summon another of his guns when he saw _him_.

_Yuuri.._

He stood at the periphery of all this mess; brown eyes were running all across the scenery, watching devastated land, buildings, everything floating together. Then he the man turned his head to Victor. His face was pale and his sigh attached firmly to him – time froze for a second. As always, Victor spotted no epiphany in them.

_Yuuri.. will you ever remember me again? Even if only a little?_

And then Yuuri looked up and noticed a witch.

Even with eyes of a witch hunter, Victor couldn´t see every detail of his face. But what he _could_ see was the expression of true horror.

 _God, he must be freaking out_. _No regular human could possibly understand what is going on here_.

The witch´s creepy laughter could still be heard in the air and its silhouette shadowed the sun. One move and another girder flew in his direction. Victor summoned a huge shield and threw the girder back, although his stamina was already low. But right now, that man security was the number one priority. He glimpsed quick on his finger ring, but it was futile. He already felt the rising dizziness and blunt pain in his stomach.

_Fuck, not, not this again.. I must endure it until Yuuri is safe!_

He moved closer to him, he could already distinguish the details of his glasses, his clothes, his shoes. But then, he suddenly saw _it_.

_That bastard!_

The cat-alike monster stood next to Yuuri, spinning his tail lazily from left to right and back on. For Victor, this _thing_ was more dangerous than any witch he had fought so far. To his horror, he could see Yuuri talking to it.

"Yuuri! NO!" he yelled and with inhuman speed rushed to him.

_I had to stop it, before..._

In the corner of his eye, he distinguished something huge. He jumped away, but it was too late. Another girder had struck him hard and thrown him several meters in a pile of glass shatters. Victor suppressed the scream and gritted his teeth. Even in this state, the pain was almost unbearable. He felt the dizziness rising and blood drenching his clothes.

_Shit! I don´t have time for this right now!_

He clumsily tried to stand up, but his limbs failed to obey him. Even breathing was painful.

_It´s no use. I have to go back._

With enormous effort, he was able to look at Yuuri one more time.

"Yuuri.. don´t listen to it.. please, " he whispered and started to cough, blood spilling from his lips and splashing on the ground.

Deep inside him, Victor knew that he had failed yet _again_.. failed to save his Yuuri.

_Just how many times I have to..?_

He coughed again and wiped the blood away while searching in vain for Yuuri with his blurry sight.

At first, he saw a flash and when a dazzling white light hit his eyes Victor knew immediately what just happened.

He couldn´t fulfill Yuuri´s last wish.. he didn´t make it.

He screamed out and grasped his ring, falling into the abyss like thousands times before.

To his surprise, he woke up still at the same place as he remembered. Victor gritted his teeth as he slowly started to come back to himself. In a few seconds he almost thought that this had to be afterlife already since everything was so calm and quiet. No girders floating around him, trying to smash him to the pieces. Just pure emptiness, hiding from the sun in the eternal dusk.

The sharp pain had reminded him that he was still alive. Victor panted as he was trying to spit out as much blood as possible, pressing his palms tightly on the wound. Everything started coming back to him: he noticed Yuuri and then Kyuubey appeared, he wanted to return time but probably passed out.. but he also clearly remembered _that_ white light, so-

_You missed it, Victor - transformed Yuuri was really something else. Sure, I had predicted he would be immensely powerful, but ending Walpurgis Night in one hit.. that´s really unheard of._

Kyuubey jumped down from the concrete block sticking out from the ground, his immovable pink eyes looking at Victor who was staring without movement at the giant dark mountain towering above him. He couldn´t even see the top since thick clouds kept blocking his view.

Except it wasn´t a mountain.

It was a witch and he knew very well how it arose.

Victor´s lips started to tremble.

_I couldn´t save you again.. forgive me, Yuuri.. that you had to become such a monster.._

The animal sat beside him and started to lick his pawns.

 _It would end up like this one way or another, Victor. He defeated the greatest enemy as the strongest with hunter, so it´s only natural he became the worst witch in the end. I estimate that in this form Yuuri will probably destroy Earth in ten days or so. But_ \- the cat straightened up and jumped over Victor to another spot - _that is already your problem, the humanity´s problem. We pretty much fulfilled the quotas of energy we had to collect already._

Victor gave him the most despicable look he was capable of and slowly reached out his left hand before his eyes. He still had all of his fingers although the skin was bloody and full of scratches. The ring remained in place; shining with icy, empty blue.

_Aren´t you going to fight?_

Kyuubey tilted his head on the side and Victor could swear he just heard the slightest bit of confusion.

 _No. My battlefield is not here_ , he replied while closing his eyes and twisting his ring once again.

\--

Victor was running down the narrow alleys, firing bullets one after another.

_Shit!_

He thought this time he managed to hit it but the animal vanished in yet another alley. Victor cursed, threw away the gun and quickly took out another. He knew killing Kyuubey was only a temporary solution, but earlier today he spotted it at the hallway nearby his office. After that, he didn´t hesitate for a second. Unfortunately, there wasn´t much Victor could do now, when Yuuri was past beyond recognizing him. At least he could warm him in advance and hope that Yuuri will trust him as he always did.

The odds had to be in his favor tonight since the animal suddenly appeared right in front of him. Victor winced, shook the thoughts away and with a couple of sharp shoots took Kyuubey down, leaving only the mutilated body behind. But before he could remove the evidence of his actions, something else had happened.

Still hidden in the shadows, he spotted that someone was coming closer to the creature´s corpse, the steps were slow and hesitant.

_Oh no._

Victor watched as Yuuri kneeled to Kyuubey and reach out his hand towards it.

"Don´t touch it," flew out of him reflexively.

Yuuri started to look around and after a while again wanted to repeat his action.

Victor sighed.

"I told you to leave it be."

He stepped out from the darkness and took a look at Yuuri. He saw the same eyes which used to stare deep into his own during long summer nights; the same lips he used to kiss all the time; the same raven hair he still kept a strain of.

Oh, how much Victor wished to tell him _everything._

But he couldn´t. It wouldn´t be right.

"Victor?" echoed from Yuuri and Victor almost winced. Even after all those years, the way Yuuri pronounced his name had never changed.

_Yuuri.. my love, my fate.. my everything._

_If it´s for you, I don´t mind being trapped in this eternal maze. I´ll repeat it over and over no matter for how long. I´ll search for that exit.. for the way to free you from endless despair. Just like you wished, Yuuri._

Victor breathed in as he slowly started to walk towards the man in front of him.

To Yuuri, who stopped belonging him long ago.


	12. The Only Guide Left

(Victor)

Kyuubey´s pupils were shining in the shadows like two pink gems. The lights were dimmed and uprising darkness in the outside didn´t help much. Victor´s eyes darted at the animal sitting at the sofa, still looking at him.

_Victor Nikiforov - the time traveler. We´ve managed to decipher that far.. however, your presence here finally allowed us to answer another, very important question._

Victor´s eyes narrowed.

_And that is.. why exactly is Yuuri Katsuki carrying such immense potential for becoming a witch hunter?_

The cat jumped down and started walking around the room, its silent steps barely audible on the carpet.

_The latent potential of someone becoming a witch hunter is determined by the relative effect on his role on fate. In other words, if Yuuri were a prince or some kind of a hero, that would give him the exact potential Incubators are looking for. However - and you were able to see it yourself - he is just a mere, ordinary human, no different from billions of others._

"Don´t lower him like that," spat Victor back and Soul Gem appeared on his palm, throwing blue shadows on his lean face.

Kyuubey turned his head again to look at him.

_Say, Victor. Wouldn´t it make sense if Yuuri´s potential was primarily caused by you?_

Victor winced but the animal continued talking, its unpleasant voice resonating within his head.

_We think the current situation is outcome resulting from manipulating the probabilities in the past over and over. To be more specific, your magic probably has some side effects that even you himself are not aware of._

Victor realized his body moved on its own and he had to lean back at the balcony guard, cold wind biting him hard at his wrists.

"What do you mean?" he pushed out of himself.

Kyuubey again jumped and sat, this time on the chair.

_You have been reversing the time repeatedly to protect Yuuri Katsuki. You probably heavily intertwined with the number of parallel worlds for the same reason, putting Yuuri in the center of everything. If all these "lines of fate" from other worlds - which under normal conditions would never interact with each other - somehow connected to Yuuri from this timeline, I could see why is he carrying such extraordinary power. So, congratulations! The one who made Yuuri the most powerful witch hunter ever is you, Victor!_

Kyuubey´s words kept echoing inside of Victor´s mind, while his body started to tremble. The room in front of his eyes vanished, replaced by images from his past - his first encounter with Yuuri, Yuuri´s smile, summer festival, his pale body in the moonlight.

Everything he went through, every event from all those past years was running before his eyes like in a movie.

"I-," he started, his sight captivated, flashing left and right all the time.

The images started to get more erratic, but he was still able to recognize them.

Yuuri´s goodbye before leaving to defeat the Walpurgis. Lonely, vanishing white flash. A body falling from the sky.

"I didn´t.. None of that, I never wanted any of that-"

Yuuri lying on the ground. A witch emerging from Yuuri´s Soul Gem.

"No.." groaned Victor but the images kept coming.

Yuuri asking him for a merciful death. Giant mass resembling a mountain.

_The one who made Yuuri the most powerful witch hunter ever is you, Victor!_

Victor started to yell and transformed instantly. Blind with rage, he jumped forward, shooting at the spot where he last spotted that hated white fur - but the animal was already gone and he found himself alone in the dark room. The images disappeared from his sight, but stayed in his mind, tormenting him as Victor felt on his knees and started crying brokenly.

_Oh, Yuuri.. how I wish to have you here by my side._

But he already ceased to hope that it would happen ever again.

\--

(Yuuri)

His consciousness finally came back.

Yuuri woke up, opening his eyes slowly only to meet the same familiar white ceiling, even with the crack in the middle.

_I´m home.._

He frowned unwittingly as he sat upright, leaning back on the pillow. His whole body hurt and he wished for some water to gulp down the unpleasant taste in his mouth. Yuuri vaguely remembered he stepped into witch´s labyrinth together with the other Yuri to help Otabek. However, nothing went as planned and his last memory was of someone - no, _something_ \- some kind of entity leaning down and touching him. The contact with such hostile magic was too much for his body and he probably passed out. At least, that was the only conclusion he could come up with right now. But what happened after?

His sight fell on his nightstand and Yuuri froze in movement. There, on the dusty wood were lying two items he sure wasn´t expecting to see there. He had already recognized the first one of them - it was Otabek´s pendant which originally belonged to JJ. Yuuri had no idea how could the pendant reappear after all this time, but it didn´t bother him much. Since the pendant was lying here and Otabek was nowhere to be seen, this has confirmed what he had already expected. Yuuri closed his eyes, again feeling sharp stinging somewhere behind his ribcage. It was the part of him that never fully healed after the loss of Mari and Phichit and now reminded him an empty, quivering and always open hole in his flesh. He gulped down and breathed in and out couple time to ease the pain. Only then he reached out his hand away from the bed to take the second item.

It was a simple piece of paper with only two sentences scribbled with a blue pen. The address, number of the house and under it stood simply: V. Nothing more, nothing less. Yuuri put the paper back on the table and again leaned back, his eyes ending on the ceiling once more.

_Well, that explains how I found myself here._

But it didn´t answer anything else: how Victor managed to find the exact labyrinth, how did he defeat the witch and the current status of Yuri Plisetsky. Yuuri secretly hoped that the young witch hunter is still alive but some mean hunch inside of him fed him the horrible scenarios of his death.

He felt so, so empty and tired. Behind his window, sudden lightning appeared, crossing the sky and announcing the arrival of an unnatural and powerful being.

The Walpurgis.

Yuuri knew that the witch would probably reach the city within the next 48 hours or sooner. What was worse was that he was unsure whether Victor would be able to defeat it. With a hint of luck, he and Yuri might have a solid chance. But if by any chance is Yuri gone and Victor weakened or injured.. Yuuri could imagine well the possible consequences of such witch rampaging in the city. People will lose their loved ones; parents would mourn after their missing children and the streets will be covered by disrupted bodies. The victims would count for thousands. The faces of his parents appeared in front of Yuuri´s eyes and sudden determination rose up in his chest.

_I cannot afford that. No matter what anyone says, even if I lose my own life.. I will help to protect this city!_

Yuuri finally got up from the bed, wincing from his bare feet touching the cold floor. Now he was grateful to Victor for giving him his address. However, there was one place he needed to go first. Yuuri reached out for the pendant and carefully hid it in his palm.

The cemetery.

\--

The wind was getting stronger as he passed by the church and already spotted the gate leading to the graveyard. Yuuri tied up his scarf firmer and speeded up. When he spotted Mari´s grave, he sent a quiet prayer for her but didn´t stop by, regretting it already. Finally, after another five rows, almost at the edge of the cemetery, he found Otabek´s grave. Yuuri took a deep breath of the cold air and transferred his sight from the grass to the stone table lying in front of him. The grave was simple and still relatively new, with a couple of flowers sticking from the vase standing on the lid. Yuuri suddenly felt as if he found himself at the wrong place and Otabek will appear any minute from the nearest corner with his typical smirk and deep, clever eyes.

But at the same time, he knew that this simply won´t happen ever again. Otabek was long, inevitably dead. The person who wanted nothing more than to help the citizens, became the monster itself - perhaps killing the very same people he once protected.

 _At least Phichit died untainted by all of this,_ thought Yuuri bitterly while his eyes got stuck on Otabek´s name written in the Russian alphabet. Little did any of them know that the only thing awaiting those caught in the web of Kyuubey´s lies is just painful, useless death.

"Rest in peace, my friend," whispered Yuuri after he hung the pendant over the lid with dates marking the Otabek´s birth.

Somehow he felt that the death came too soon and yet at the same time too late for this tormented soul.

\--

Yuuri kept standing in front of the house that looked fancier than any of the hotels he had seen so far. But according to the note he found this morning, this was the right place.

Victor Nikiforov´s home.

Without further hesitation, Yuuri took a deep breath and pushed the button representing the doorbell. He needed answers and was sure that Victor could provide it - and if not all, then at least some of them. While waiting he almost half-expected lackey going down to open up the door for him but quickly ordered himself to return into reality. And sure enough, only the second after that the intercom rustled and Victor´s voice echoed in the air.

"Yuuri?"

"Yes, it´s me. Can we.. speak for a bit? I wanted to ask you some things."

"Of course. I´m opening the door," came from the speaker and the sound cut off. The door beeped and Yuuri pushed them to get inside.

Like in a dream, he quickly passed by the luxuriously looking lobby and ended it in no less fancy elevator. In couple minutes he already caught himself knocking on the simple, yet decorative wooden door. Victor opened them almost immediately, looking at Yuuri over a chain.

"All right. Wait for a second," he declared and vanished behind the door. Yuuri could hear only the sound of chain removal and then the door opened up once again.

"Please, come in," he showed him the inside of the flat and stepped back a few steps so Yuuri could proceed further.

"Apologize the chain, but these are uncertain times. Especially now, when-," Victor stopped himself and changed the topic. "Why don´t we go to the living room?"

Yuuri shrugged his shoulders, took off his shoes and followed the silver ponytail bobbing in front of him. Only with the corner of his eye he perceived the white, empty walls and absence of paintings, plants of redundant furniture. However, everything changed when he reached the living room.

The walls were full of pictures - moving pictures. Some of them were depicting only silhouettes or bizarre places full of strange colors. Others were mostly printed notes - floating freely above them, reaching the ceiling and coming back. And some images seemed to contain scraps from the newspapers, hand-written schematics, and even charts. Yuuri caught himself staring at all that mess, part of him silently wondering about the obvious gravity denial. But the main topic and the world that kept repeating picture after picture was clear: Walpurgis.

"So, I assume you found my letter," interrupted him Victor and Yuuri winced. "But otherwise, what brings you here?"

He sat on the sofa but Yuuri remained standing.

"I came to ask you something, Victor, and I don´t like being treated like an innocent fool anymore. So, tell me: is Yuri Plisetsky still alive?"

Victor gave him a long, pensive look, but Yuuri saw no lie in those blue eyes when he finally answered him.

"No."

Yuuri let out a breath he was unaware of holding and sat at the edge of the couch.

"I thought so. Did.. did the witch killed him?"

Victor sighed and his eyes fell to the ground.

"He sacrificed himself for the two of us. If I would come sooner I might prevent it to happen, but.." his voice trailed off.

Yuuri gritted his teeth from anger. Although he only spent a short time with the young hunter, he kind of took a liking of that boy. Yuri might act bitter sometimes, but his heart was brave and in the right place. However, none of that saved him before dying in a witch´s claws.

"I miss him too, Yuuri," echoed a sad voice and Yuuri lifted his sight, surprised. "He reminded me.. well, I guess it doesn´t matter anymore. But you two did everything you were able to do. Please, don´t blame yourself. If there is anyone to blame, it should be me."

With that Victor stayed silent, only his sight still darted in the ground.

Yuuri closed his eyes and tried to stay calm and push down his emotions. The situation was bad as it was already and now his worst apprehension became reality.

"Victor," he finally heard himself saying, "Kyuubey told me that to defeat Walpurgis, there is a need for at least two active witch hunters. But given the circumstances, I don´t see any other solution than-"

"Yuuri," Victor interrupted him suddenly, lifting his head. "In all honesty, I believe that rat was lying. Truth to be told, after discovering the secret about Soul Gems I never believed in its words anymore."

"Lying..?"

Yuuri was confused - it was true that Kyuubey horribly betrayed them, but he was sure he never heard a direct lie from him. In fact, he remembered Phichit declaring that it should be physically impossible for him, as well as understanding human emotions.

"I´m not so sure about this, Victor," Yuuri shook his head. "Walpurgis seems to be an extremely atypical witch. Yuri told me that he was supposed to fight together with you to defeat it, too."

Yuuri threw a questioning look at the hunter sitting in front of him, but Victor´s face remained illegible as always.

"Yuuri, what exactly do you know about Walpurgis?"

Yuuri opened up his eyes in confusion - he wasn´t expecting such a question. His eyes nervously flew at the images hovering quietly above him. The data from countless research, the pictures of victims, and cities in chaos caught in rampaging fire.

"Surely not so much as you," he replied finally.

"Well.. to put it simply, unlike other witches you have seen so far, this one doesn´t need to hide in a protective barrier. It would cause severe causalities just by reaching the city frontier - not to mention the town itself. Of course, regular citizens can´t see it - so they mistakenly assign the damages to natural catastrophes such as earthquake or tornado. You can feel it already - those storms and strong wind are without a doubt caused by Walpurgis´s nearby presence. I assume you would be demanded to hide in the evacuation shelter within the next 24 hours."

Yuuri stayed sitting but his brown eyes bored in Victor´s blue ones.

"And you, Victor? Do you honestly manage to take down Walpurgis by yourself?"

"Of course," replied Victor without even batting an eye.

"Then why did you agree to form combat with Yuri in the first place?"

"Yuri was still very young," sighed Victor. "I have no idea if he would be able to beat Walpurgis alone - although if I would have to, I probably wouldn´t bet on his victory. But I still wanted to give him a chance to save his face and this seemed to be a mercy way of doing so. The truth is I am perfectly capable of taking out Walpurgisnacht by myself. In fact, I already stood up against it."

That shocked Yuuri - it meant that Victor had to be far more experienced than he thought, but at the same time, he noticed that the truth about Victor´s victory remained cleverly hidden within his words.

_All those secrets.. just how many of them are lies used for protecting me?_

Yuuri was still standing, eyeing the older man; but Victor just kept sitting, his eyes scanning the pictures. Yuuri watched him for a while but his patience started to hit its limits already.

"Are you telling the truth to me, Victor?" he asked finally, not even trying to hide the pain in his voice. "And if you do, how can you be so sure about your win if you already failed in the past?"

Victor´s sight flickered back at him, but he kept silent.

"You know," started Yuuri again, looking at the ground, "I don´t want to think that you are lying to me. All that time we know each other you just kept secrets from me.. I want to believe that this ended already! I want to believe in _you_ , Victor!"

Yuuri stepped forward to face the man in front of him. Victor tried to avert his sight but Yuuri didn´t let him and bored his own eyes into him with unexpected intensity.

"But somehow I can´t.. can´t bring myself to think you will be alright.. I just _feel_ that something is not right. I can´t explain it, but I know for sure that you won´t come alive from this fight."

Surprisingly, his own eyes started to water from some reason and Yuuri blinked, startled; but wiped away the tears quickly and leaned down, never breaking eye contact.

"And if you are really telling the truth, why won´t you ever look me in the eyes directly, Victor? Why do you keep feeding me bunch of lies instead of the reality? Why-", his voice started to crack, "why did you let them die? Otabek, Phichit, everyone..?"

Yuuri spotted something fluttering inside of those crystal eyes, something he couldn´t define at the moment. He knew exactly when he had seen it for the last time - the hallway at work where he dropped a bunch of papers - but this time, he couldn´t reach further. Victor again slipped from him and that was when Yuuri´s emotions took reins over his body, his legs betrayed him and he found himself falling forward.

Victor´s arms, large and warm, caught him totally unprepared as his knees hit the carpet and Yuuri froze.

He wasn´t hurt since Victor kept pressing his torso tightly to him, his chest rising up and down as he was breathing rapidly. Hunter´s breath was warming his neck and silver hair tickled him in the eyes. Yuuri´s heart started beating like a crazy and he felt hotness climbing up in his cheeks.

"Victor..?"

He heard nothing - at first, but Victor´s heavy huffs started to get louder and he pulled him even closer, so close that Yuuri could feel his shoulders trembling.

"Yuuri..," he finally replied with a raspy voice, "I wish I could tell you everything.. but it´s not possible. I mean, I´m living in a different _time_ as you!"

A broken cry filled out the air and before Yuuri could even react, Victor leaned his head over Yuuri´s shoulder, his arms still holding him tightly.

"I came from the future, you know? I´ve met you countless times and watched you die over and over again.. How can I save you? Is it even possible? I´ve repeated my actions, searching for that one and only answer, but still didn´t find a way to change your fate. Every time I come back I hope it would be different, but.."

Yuuri´s eyes widened as he was listening to those words. He knew his legs should be screaming after cramped in this half-sitting, half-standing embrace; he knew that Victor´s weight should be choking him. But somehow it was all different then it should be. Somehow he felt there has to be a reason why Victor kept appearing in his dreams, why Victor holding him in his arms felt so familiar. Blurry, confused images started to arise in his mind and Yuuri gasped from surprise. As they started to clear, he could suddenly recognize familiar figures and faces. Yuuri´s eyes widened even more and his mouth fell open unwittingly.

"Vic-"

"I´m sorry," Victor interrupted him, his voice muffled as he was hiding his face in Yuuri´s chest. "I know this doesn´t make any sense to you since in your eyes I´m just CEO you´ve known for barely a year; but Yuuri, for me you are-"

His voice broke again and Yuuri could hear only silent cry until Victor pressed his warm forehead on his own. When their noses touched on the way, Yuuri felt his insides shivering, blood pumping through his veins almost painfully by now.

"I know that every time I return, I´m just hurting you. I know our lives are drifting further apart. I know you have no memories about me whatsoever and my words are not reaching you anymore.. I think I lost myself a long time ago. But as long as I´m breathing, I will try to fulfill the promise I gave to you. My wish.. my desire to save you is there from the very beginning. You don´t have to understand. You don´t have to believe me. But Yuuri, I beg you: let me protect you. After everything that happened, this is the only guide left to me. Without you, I probably won´t find my way back."

In a flash, silver hair were replaced by a blurry face, leaning to him.

"Yuuri.."

Victor tilted his head aside and for one crazy second Yuuri thought Victor was going to kiss him; but eventually, his lips only very slightly brushed against his own and Victor slowly drew away from him, freeing his arms. Yuuri almost fell back at the carpet as he wasn´t expecting this, but quickly found his composure back and sat again, lifting his eyes. Victor was sitting in front of him with face hidden in his palms and loose hair, falling from his ponytail to his shoulders.

"I´m sorry I couldn´t save them. I´m so weak.. forgive me."

His quiet words were echoing in the space but Yuuri heard him loud and clear as if Victor was standing right next to him.

He stood up, stepped forward and for this time it was him who embraced Victor´s trembling body. His fingers somehow found their way into his smooth, silky hair and slowly started brushing through it soothingly.

"I forgive you," he whispered and let Victor pull him closer by his waist so he could cry out in his chest.

After all, after everything Victor went through for him, consolation was the least he could offer.

He didn´t know for how long they stayed like that; Victor´s head on his chest, Victor´s hands around his waist. Yuuri was still stroking his hair unwittingly when sudden lightning struck someplace close to them and they both winced. Victor immediately stood up, pulling Yuuri with him.

"Walpurgis. It has to be already nearby. Shit - that came sooner as I expected."

He transformed instantly, only his Soul Gem shining in the gloomy room.

"Yuuri."

Yuuri winced and looked at him, perhaps for the first time seeing Victor clearly. Now he knew that under his coat Victor is hiding body full of scars. He noticed how his hair was covering a handsome, but lonely face. And he recognized clear, yet adamant blue eyes looking at him.

"Yuuri, you have to go."

Yuuri couldn´t tear his eyes away from him, not now when he knew how much Victor had to sacrifice.

"I can´t, " he whispered.

"You have to," repeated the older man patiently.

"Don´t make me. Don´t send me away."

"I have to. You could die."

"I don´t care. If it means I could be useful, I don´t care," spoke Yuuri silently.

"But I do. If you would die now, all that has happened so far would be pointless."

Yuuri opened up his mouth only to close it a second after. Victor was right. As a human, he had nothing to offer. So he only gulped down, still looking at Victor, carving him in his memory.

"What if you won´t make it?"

A faint smile appeared on Victor´s lips as he walked through the room, opening up the main door.

"Then I hope I would get a chance to see you smiling once again."

His tall figure was almost stepping out of doorframe when Victor turned back once more.

"I know I was already granted one wish.. but if I could have another one, I would like to come back to you, Yuuri. Stay safe."

With that, Victor turned around and vanished in the hallway, only the sound of his steps fading out in the silence.

Yuuri could only watch him leave, words stuck in his throat. It was clenching and he knew it wasn´t from fear.

\--

_"..Due to extreme weather conditions, all citizens are required to evacuate immediately from 1:00 PM. Attention. This is a public announcement of Kagamihara city. Due to extreme-"_

Victor was looking at the autonomous car with amplifier attached at its top while the vehicle passed by him. But it wasn´t the car that took his attention. On the horizon, he could already see the forming of a barrier. The structure was changing any second but obviously enlarging itself. Within several hours it would serve as an entrance for the most persistent enemy Victor had ever faced so far.

Walpurgis - and the whole city would serve as its giant labyrinth.

Victor gritted his teeth but ordered himself to stay calm.

"Let´s see what you got on me this time," he growled silently and vanished to check the first one of his neatly prepared traps.

He had to win.

\--

Yuuri closed the window. He turned on TV mindlessly while wiping his face in Victor´s towel. He couldn´t return to his apartment - and not just because of the outside conditions. He simply didn´t know where else he should go. He managed to leave a message to his parents before phone lines went dead, but that was all. Victor would be probably angry if he knew that Yuuri deliberately refused to go to the shelter, but he was decided to wait. After all, what else could he do? The high-pitched voice took his attention back to TV where a female moderator was making conversation with some bearded scientist.

_"..Absolutely. This is a classic example of supercell forming. You can see it from the positions of the clouds here and here. At this point, it is hard to estimate the extent of damages, but without a doubt, this will be a very tough night for all citizens in Gifu prefecture. Tomorrow-"_

Rage lit up inside of Yuuri and he threw a remote control in the giant flat, causing it to turn off.

_Everyone.. everyone´s lives are in Victor´s hands! And nobody, not even me, can help him.. He is somewhere there, all alone, like he had been countless times before!_

Yuuri sat on the sofa and put his head in the palms.

_Victor.._

Now he knew he was the one Victor was longing after. He was the one that made him cry. And the one changing Victor to the person he is was also him. And yet, it was again him who was sitting here in safety while Victor was fighting for his life.

His hands, firmly clenched, started to tremble. The feeling of helplessness was so intense he wanted to jump out of the sofa right now. But at the same time, Yuuri knew he had nothing to offer.

_You know this is not true, Yuuri._

The voice pulled him out of his thoughts and his eyes quickly found it origin - just to be disappointed to see Kyuubey again.

Yuuri ignored the cat and averted his sight, but the creature thought otherwise.

_Victor didn´t tell you the truth about himself. Or rather, the whole truth._

Yuuri kept sitting but answered with a cold voice.

"So now I am supposed to believe you?"

_Well, there is nothing I can say now to convince you. All that is left is to watch how far Victor will manage to go against Walpurgis this time. It is not like he has any choice left._

"What do you mean?" asked Yuuri and turned to Kyuubey unwittingly. "I´m sure he has some plan - even in the case he would get defeated. Victor is not that type of a witch hunter that would rush into the fight unprepared."

Pink eyes glistened in the shadows dancing on the walls.

_That is certainly true; but above all, Victor is basically searching for hope. I imagine that if things were not supposed to end according to his wish, he would just nullify this timeline and return once again. And in the new version of the past, he would have to start fighting all over. All in hope to protect you. Victor knows exactly what will happen to him if he would give up or admit his defeat. That is why he must continue to fight, whether he has a chance or not. After all, he is not different from witch hunters from the past. The only question is for how long he will manage to endure it._

The cat´s eyes kept darting in him but Yuuri´s vision went blurry again. If Kyuubey was right, then..

Victor might be lying about being able to defeat Walpurgis if he had a back-up plan.. but even if he would return to the past, would it really change something? Would it free him from the endless circle of fighting and despair?

He remembered again the man from the images he saw in his mind while Victor was holding him.

In that memory, a tall man was shading his eyes before sun rays, laughing merrily with his eyes half-closed. His impossibly long eyelashes were touching his cheeks while his hair was floating freely around him in silver strings. _This_ was the Victor he wanted to know but didn´t get a chance to do so. The memory changed, Victor moved and looked at him with such intense blue that Yuuri almost reached out his hand to touch him. Victor´s physical absence was now almost hurting him.

And then the picture faded away and he was again looking just on plain walls. Kyuubey was still sitting there, waiting; his tail swinging from side to side lazily.

_The battle is slowly approaching its end. It is clear now that Victor can´t win by himself. What will you do, Yuuri? Will you help to protect this city before Walpurgis?_

Yuuri gritted his teeth. Were there any options for him given the fact that Victor was determined to stop him from becoming a witch hunter? On one hand, Kyuubey couldn´t directly lie to him, but on the other.. Victor might be in mortal danger right now. Or.. _dead_ already.

Just the pure thought gave Yuuri goosebumps and his heart froze.

_Victor is basically searching for hope now._

Kyuubey´s words kept coming back to him, resonating in his mind.

_All in hope to protect you._

_Hope.._

Victor´s face, enlightened with sun appeared in front of his eyes once again.

_Will I see him smile like that ever again?_

Yuuri couldn´t bear the idea of Victor dying somewhere alone, drowning in the dark. He still didn´t know what could he do to help but anything was better than this. He just wanted to see him, to touch him, to see Victor alive. Nothing else mattered as long as he could be by his side. Yuuri lifted up his head sharply and jumped out of the sofa.

"Take me to Victor right now!"

Kyuubey´s eyes widened, but without further explanation, he turned back and started running to the hallway. Yuuri followed him, not bothering by closing the door. Without taking anything with him, he took two stairs at the time and just kept running and running.

_Victor.. I´ll give you all hope you are searching for!_

\--

Victor´s eyes opened up abruptly as something huge shattered close to him. He was already collapsing on the brink of losing consciousness from the blood loss and enormous physical exertion. Walpurgis´s ugly laugh could still be heard in the air and debris was floating everywhere around him.

Only one look on his torso lying under concrete block was sufficient enough to persuade him - there was no way to win when he couldn´t move or breathe freely. Without thinking, Victor touched his ring and was about to twist it only to stop himself in the last second. Kyuubey´s words appeared in his mind again and now he fully understood the possible consequences. His hand faltered and sunk heavily back to the ground.

_If I keep returning, Yuuri will suffer even more.._

Victor bit his lip in frustration, almost causing it to bleed. He couldn´t afford to increase Yuuri´s karmic burden even more, but at the same time, he _needed_ to go back. Walpurgis easily overcame all his tricks and strategies he had prepared beforehand and the city was beyond saving at this point.

Something heavy suddenly fell on him, causing Victor to gasp and let out a pained cry. Immediately, his sight fell on his right side while his pupils dilated in horror. His right hand was stuck completely under a giant rock and sharp stinging was spreading through the flesh. Just several minutes after that Victor lost sense in the limb completely regardless of how much he pulled the muscles. His eyes widened even more and he started to get dizzy, suppressing sudden nausea caused by shock and the ever-present heat.

_Fuck.. this is bad! If I can´t return time, this city would end wiped out completely with everyone in it! And Yuuri.. Yuuri.._

His eyes filled out with tears uncontrollably, hot drops sliding down his cheeks. Victor was gulping down the sobs, his panic rising. His eyes fell on the Soul Gem and his heart skipped a beat - the usually pale crystal was now almost completely dark.

_No.. It can´t be!_

Victor´s throat got dry when he realized what is going on. He had seen it so many times that he forgot to count it, but the outcome was always the same: the witch. Victor now stood against his death. He remembered vividly how Yuuri suffered every time when he was forced to change into that malicious creature; his broken screams and eyes almost black from indescribable terror. His sobs now turned to open cries as the pain inside of him kept growing and his memories kept tormenting him.

"Yuuri," Victor whispered, forcing himself to stay conscious. Small raindrops that came out nowhere were falling on his face, mixing with tears and sliding down his cheeks. "Tell me, Yuuri.. why can´t I just beat it? No matter what I try, it´s still the same.."

His vision became blurry while his breathing started to be irregular, his chest was rising up and down in futile effort to pump more oxygen from dusted air into his lungs.

"All this time, I just wanted to win and return to you.. was it too much to ask?"

Speaking started to be painful and Victor had to close his eyes. Sky, once blue, was now fully dark, reminding him of his deepest nightmares. Victor could feel the cold coming from the ring on his finger and even some trembling as if something trapped inside wanted to be released. Despite the heat, he shivered; almost feeling the death´s breath on his neck.

_It seems I wasn´t able to fulfill what I wished for, after all.. I´m sorry, Yuuri._

Even in this state, Victor´s body twitched on its own, desperately trying to run before Walpurgis - but his mind was already frozen, immobile. Eventually, the tremor calmed down but Victor could still perceive the strange, unnatural light pushing from under his eyelids. Without a doubt, Walpurgis now had to be so close that all of this could end in one hit. In a moment, he would die and the whole Kagamihara will perish with him.

A single tear rolled down Victor´s cheek as he realized his life would really end here and now. There won´t be any second chances. He won´t wake up in his bed and meet Yuuri again.

_I´m sorry I wasn´t able to protect you._

_I love you, Yuuri._

Victor´s breathing deepened, his body like glued to the ground. All that noise, thunderbolts and Walpurgis - everything vanished abruptly and he remained all by himself, breathing and breaking under his unfulfilled wishes. He felt alone, so alone in that never-ending, creeping darkness.

And then suddenly someone took his only remaining hand into his own and held it firmly. It was a familiar touch; skin brushing against the skin in a pleasant, soft, almost tendering way. Victor´s eyelids fluttered in surprise and slowly, very slowly he managed to open up his eyes again.

He was greeted by chocolate eyes behind the glasses, and a face he longed to see for _so_ long.

"Yuuri..?", he whispered, voice so weak he barely heard himself.

Yuuri leaned down and hugged him, warming up his body. He stayed like that for a minute before he let go, paying attention not to worsen his injuries.

"That´s enough. You´ve done enough, Victor. Now it´s time for someone else to take action. And since no other witch hunter has remained in this city.."

His voice trailed off as Yuuri stood up and turned away, facing the Walpurgis and all that chaos it created. Victor´s sight slid from his floating hair down to his legs. Just now he noticed the white fur of the creature sitting by Yuuri´s feet and his heart literally skipped a beat.

"Yuuri.. don´t tell me you already-"

Yuuri turned back to him with his most heartfelt smile and the same apologetic look he had seen on him somewhere awfully ago in the past.

"I´m sorry, Victor. But I´m going to become a witch hunter."


	13. I Wish..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the last chapter /epilogue included/. Thank you for everyone who stayed with this fic till the end. I hope you liked it and the side-stories as well.  
> Enjoy!
> 
> Comments and kudos are always welcomed!

****Yuuri was still looking at him with the expression that even made Victor forget about his wrecked body for a second while his eyes widened in shock immediately.

_Yuuri and witch hunter? No, that can´t be..!_

He opened his mouth to protest but Yuuri´s sight wavered for a second and he took out something from his pocket, kneeled to the ground and put it to Victor´s bare skin popping from under his torn clothes.

"Victor?"

Brown eyes locked onto his and Victor felt a slight pressure of something sharp pressing at his arm. His eyes slid down at the unknown object - it was a needle.

"May I?" asked Yuuri, waiting for an answer. Victor knew immediately that in fact, this wasn´t exactly the question Yuuri wanted to ask. He saw it in his eyes - the unspoken _do you trust me?_ \- but only nodded and closed his eyes again. Yuuri probably knew this, but Victor was trusting him unconditionally. Even if he did gave him some sort of lethal injection, Victor would accept it. But the opposite happened and the relief was unbelievable - the pain disappeared, his breathing became deeper. Victor gasped and opened up his eyes widely - the world now seemed to have more colors.

"I found it in a med kit you had in the bathroom. It should be some derivate of morphium - I bet you didn´t even know you had that kind of thing at home."

Victor shook his head, adrenaline again pumping in his veins. His mind switched back on and he started to perceive the presence of Walpurgis again. They needed to run - immediately. Chatting could wait for another time. But as if Yuuri was reading his thoughts, he shook his head, pointing at the witch.

"Don´t worry, I am fully aware of it. And I think I know how to defeat it. I always kept thinking that there has to be a way to defeat witches ones and for all. There _had to_ be. And indeed, it seems to be possible. Actually, it is so simple I am surprised no one tried to do it before. Just to imagine how many lives could be saved.."

He glared at Kyuubey but continued.

"I decided already, Victor. I know this has to be very painful to you to hear it, moreover after everything you went through for my sake. I´m really sorry about that."

For one second, Victor thought he misheard. Yuuri couldn´t possibly know.. his memories vanished, didn´t they..?

Yuuri reached out and held his hand firmly. His warm, brown eyes found Victor´s blue ones and he smiled again.

"It took me a while.. but I remembered, Vitya."

Victor´s heart missed a beat. He never broke contact with Yuuri, their fingers entangling with each other.

"How?" he breathed out quietly.

"When you were holding me before. I can´t explain it properly, but.. pictures suddenly begun materializing in my head. I recognized you and also others.. I watched my whole life, the one I couldn´t remember. I saw everything. Every little thing. That´s why I want to thank you, Vitya. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. If it weren´t for you, I would live just in your memories, like all the older versions of me. But because you cared about me and protected me all that time, I was able to become the person I am today. It is your _hope_ that kept us both alive and joined us together up until now."

Yuuri reached out and brushed away the dust from Victor´s face. Then he leaned down and gently kissed him, his lips slightly open, brushing over Victor´s. Victor could feel Yuuri´s warmth, his sweet scent, his smooth skin. He desperately wanted to touch him back but his own body was still helplessly stuck under the debris, so he just lifted his arm and stroked Yuuri´s cheek. Streams of tears were running down his face again when Yuuri opened up his eyes, smiled and whispered him in the ears.

"Don´t worry, Vitya. I thought carefully about it. I promise your hard work won´t go in vain. Just trust me."

Yuuri then stood up against the witch, his arms stretched out wide, like forming a cross.

"I am sorry, but your journey ends here."

He looked at Kyuubey who didn´t spare another look on Victor and jumped straight forward to Yuuri´s side.

_Now.. tell me, Yuuri Katsuki. Have you found a wish you will trade your very soul for?_

Victor´s old self would probably start squirming and yelling "NO!" from the bottom of his lungs, but Victor in current condition stayed lying still, only his eyes copied the two silhouettes in front of him. Yuuri´s decisions truly belonged only to him now - he couldn´t interfere anymore. But as always, Victor trusted Yuuri and knew he will continue to do so till his last breath. His eyes kept tracking his lover who was glaring at the animal with immovable face. Then Yuuri´s lips opened and Victor heard a single word.

"Yes."

Yuuri lifted his head, his sight hardened.

"I wish to erase all witches in the universe. All that were or would ever be created, from all timelines - past, present and future. And to ensure you won´t trick innocent people ever again, I will do it by _myself_. With my own two hands."

Victor´s breath stopped somewhere in his chest and his mouth opened unwittingly. He never knew a wish like that could exist and certainly never anticipated to hear it directly from Yuuri´s lips. But he wasn´t the only one that was caught surprised. Even Kyuubey seemed to be speechless and frozen on the ground, and his pink eyes were certainly bigger than Victor remembered. Finally, its childish voice again appeared in Victor´s mind.

_Do you realize the consequences of such a wish? This would not be just a temporal manipulation. If I make it come true.. Yuuri Katsuki, do you intend to become a god?_

"I don´t care how you call it. I just wish for this endless chain of pain to stop finally. For all those who sought hope and found despair instead, to rest in peace. And if there are any rules or laws that would stand in the way - then I will destroy them, rewrite them! That is my wish and you will grant it, Incubator!"

A wave of hot air brushed over Victor´s face, replaced by a warm, but intensifying white light. It was spreading from Yuuri´s chest to his torso and arms, slowly covering the rest of his body and emitting to his surroundings. Victor tried to keep his eyes open but the glow was strong, too strong for his irides to bear. Just when he shadowed his eyes and wanted to call at Yuuri, something happened.

\--

Victor suddenly appeared in a room he was familiar with. Giant couch was located near the window while coffee table was standing right before him. Someone pressed him a beer in his hand and sat nearby - Yuri. But he wasn´t grumpy as always, glaring at everyone with his fierce eyes. No, he was relaxed, leaning with his back at the couch with a short braid loosely falling from his left shoulder. Victor just thought that this was probably the first time he ever saw Yuri´s whole face, incredibly young and pale - and then the boy grinned at him and took a sip of his beer.

"Whoa, don´t tell me you can´t handle another one. Or are you really already an old man?"

"Yuri, stop that pranks. I mean, I am always glad to have you over - and you know that, but today we have something else to talk about. Right, Yuuri?"

Victor almost choked on his beer - he knew that particular voice and sure enough, Phichit himself was sitting on the opposite side of the couch with Yuuri in the middle. It all looked so peaceful and relaxed that Victor had a hard time to believe that this is really happening - Phichit and Yuri were supposed to be dead, after all. Just like Otabek who was the only one missing in the room.

Because Yuuri didn´t seem to answer the question, Phichit moved closer to him and his face gained a saddened expression. For a second there, it looked like he wanted to hold Yuuri firmly and didn´t let go - but eventually, he stayed where he was.

"Oh Yuuri, I just don´t think you truly understand what a daunting wish that is."

Yuuri´s sight was fixed on the glass he was holding, but a gentle smile appeared on his face. Victor wanted to move closer to him, too, but somehow he couldn´t. He struggled, but his body remained immovable. If felt as if some strange force glued him to the spot he was sitting on.

"From my point of view," continued Phichit, "I think it would require an enormous sacrifice from you. You will be fighting to prevent more witches to be born, and you will have to keep doing it for the rest of eternity.. Honestly, death would be more merciful."

Victor tried to say something but just like moving, speaking was apparently out of question, too. From some reason, he was supposed to act as a mere observer here, although his heart skipped a beat after hearing Phichit´s words. Phichit was right, he always was. It was so obvious - it´s _Yuuri_ and he already sacrificed himself so many times, but.. why does it have to happen again? Regardless of what Victor did, Yuuri always ended up suffering. Victor knew he should have predicted it, he should have prevented it. But this time.. no, all the time he believed that Yuuri could be saved, somehow. But Yuuri´s wish turned his world upside down and nothing will ever be the same.

To his surprise, Yuuri smiled and embraced Phichit around his shoulders.

"You always knew me the best from all, Phichit. I am sorry I made you be concern about me again, after all that time.. But don´t worry. I am fully aware of everything you just said. And it´s okay. That is exactly what I intend to do."

Yuuri let Phichit go and this time moved to Victor, his warm eyes almost smiling. He leaned in and hugged him, his head put on Victor´s chest.

"You see it now too, don´t you, Vitya? The important thing is to never cease on hope! And if someone will try to tell me that I am wrong, I will just repeat it again. I will repeat it every time because I believe in it! That´s why I am sure my determination won´t ever waver. Why should it, anyway?"

"I guess now you finally understand what I told you back then when we were trying to rescue Beka," Yuri joined the conversation, his green eyes glistening. "You found your reason to fight and that is the most important thing, isn´t it? Now you just need to step forward."

He put away the bottle and continued.

"You have what it takes to save us all, Yuuri. I´m just pissed that I couldn´t outsmart that small white cheater by myself."

Yuuri laughed quietly into Victor´s chest. "Yeah."

"Okay, time to go," declared Phichit and stood up suddenly, grinning at Yuuri still hugging Victor. "I think you two have a lot to talk about."

"Agreed," Yuri stood up and bumped his shoulder into Victor, trying to act as if he was unaware of it. "Let´s go, Phich."

Yuuri turned his head back to look at the two figures that continually started to disappear.

"I am not saying goodbye to you. You know why, right?"

"Of course. It´s not like we would never see each other again."

Victor managed to move his head just a little to see smiling Phichit and amused Yuri with his hands crossed at the back of his head.

"Thank you, Yuuri. You are not just making people hopes come true - you will become a hope itself. For all of us, the witch hunters."

Phichit and Yuri gave them one last smile and vanished in pure white light. Startled, Victor realized that he can move again - and that tears are pouring from his eyes. Yuuri gently wiped them off with his fingers and Victor immediately started hugging him back. Yuuri chuckled but stayed serious, an apology clear in his chocolate eyes.

"I am sorry to have you restrained, Vitya, but it was needed."

Victor finally found his voice again.

"You did this?"

"My subconscious, yes. But it was nice to see them again, wasn´t it?"

"Of course," responded Victor while the space around them slowly started to fall apart as well. "I was just wondering why Otabek wasn´t with them."

Yuuri sighed and reluctantly let Victor go, but kept holding his hand firmly.

"It was a bit difficult with Otabek. He actually _changed_ into a witch, so I wouldn´t be able to revive him like those two."

"Revive?" flew out of Victor without thinking. "Are you saying that you can bring dead to life again?"

"I wished for no more witches to exist. Phichit and Yuri were killed by a witch, so naturally, if there are no witches, they would be revived. Otabek however.. I think you might be seeing him again, somehow. But you must understand I won´t be able to restore everything to the point when it was all okay. This is not simple time-travel; I would change all possible past as well as the future.. In fact, it already started. Look!"

And before Victor could react, the room collapsed and he and Yuuri returned to the place they came from.

\--

He was again lying on the ground, but the scenery changed rapidly. The cloudy sky was replaced by white aurora and dazzling light was filling out all the space around them. Victor felt strangely light-weight and by noticing the lines of his body he could just guess that the shock wave probably lifted the stones from him and blew them away. His eyes wandered and that was when he spotted the scenery in front of him.

He saw Yuuri - the witch hunter.

He looked just like Victor remembered - a pure white blouse popping from under dark-blue vest and trousers with the same color. His hair was waving in the wind and his look was as determined as ever. And behind his belt was his weapon - a magical knife, able to erase everything he went through. Yuuri took out the knife and kneeled, obviously in deep concentration. Victor didn´t know what was going on but slowly managed to at least crawl away from the dust and lean on his hands. Suddenly, the knife started to glow too and somehow multiplied into millions of copies that hovered into the air. Yuuri lifted his head, waved his hand and they vanished, leaving only a faint, glowing trail behind them. Then he turned around and helped Victor back on his feet.

"Yuuri.. what is going on?" asked Victor while coughing out the rest of the dust from his lugs.

"Just now, those knives are traveling to all witch hunters across the universe that ever were or will be. And when they found one that is on the verge of collapsing into a witch, they will pine his Soul Gem down and erase the curses born within it before it breaks. I put bit of myself into every one of those copies, so I know exactly what is happening."

His legs wavered and Victor just now realized that Yuuri is holding onto him for more stability. His face was glistening from exhaustion and his eyes looked tired, but also peaceful and - happy.

"Yuuri!" yelped Victor and wanted to help him sit, but Yuuri´s grip on his hand grew more intense and prevented him to do so.

"No, Victor.. I need to stay awake until the end. I need to know that my wish had saved them.. to let them know that their lives won´t end in pain and suffering. That there will be no more curses, no more dreadful decisions. I´ll bear all of their burden by myself. But feeling all of them leave.. it´s really much more intense than I thought it will be."

His eyes closed and his head tilted on Victor´s arm for support, his lips muttering quiet words.

"All of you, please.. believe in yourself. You helped to save thousands - your life was worth living! Just close your eyes and let me handle all that´s left.."

Victor suddenly realized that Yuuri´s body grew heavier and colder any minute and despite his protests, he managed to lay him on the ground. The light around them was now so strong that he barely recognized their surroundings. He looked around, but Walpurgis was gone. Without a doubt, it couldn´t hide before Yuuri´s knives which moved everywhere around them. The sky was shockingly blue and full of glowing trails left behind the copies. Some of them were slowly vanishing, while others kept appearing here and there and then diminished in the flash of white light.

"Victor..", he heard from his right side and immediately transferred his attention back to the ground.

Just one look on Yuuri made his words froze on his lips and his eyes grew bigger in shock.

Yuuri was lying on his back, his body shining through the cloth of his witch hunter outfit. His eyes were closed and hair was spread around his head, almost forming a halo.

"I guess I must look pretty worn-out, huh?"

His voice was weak, but the corners of the mouth were twitching in an attempt of a smile.

"Dividing my life energy into all of them took more from me than I imagined.. however, there is still one thing left."

One of his hands was clutching to Victor, while the other was slowly handing him something big and sharp. Victor didn´t have to look on it to know that Yuuri was passing him his knife. Yuuri´s eyes opened for a moment and he fixed him with his sight.

"I think you know what to do. If my body will be trapped here, my wish could never be fully carried out. I know it´s horrible to ask you to do it, but I´m afraid we are the only ones left now."

Victor kept looking at his lover dying on the ground, his voice again lost somewhere in his throat. He understood the words coming from Yuuri´s mouth, but he wasn´t able to comprehend them. Why now, when all witches were defeated and the city was saved, couldn´t Yuuri stay?

He felt his eyes welling with tears and his hands started to tremble. The knife fell out from his fingers as he leaned down and started hugging Yuuri.

"Why again?" asked Victor between sobs. "Why can´t we ever be together.. just once? We always end up separating and I don´t think I can handle it anymore.. I love you, Yuuri, and can´t live without you. We can start again.. if I go back in time, then-"

"That won´t do, Victor. The past is now irreparable changed. You would be never able to return to the same world that you and I know."

Yuuri´s eyes were now visibly sad as he was trailing Victor´s face with them. Silver hair were sticking to his skin and droplet of tears were dripping down his chin on Yuuri´s chest.

"That´s why I said I´m sorry. I knew it would cause you a lot of pain."

He lifted his palm and gently caressed the wet cheek of his lover. Victor´s blue eyes fluttered on the familiar touch.

"Do you remember when you took me to that movie for the first time? A romantic comedy. Perfect for a first date. I´m sorry that I spilled my drink on you back then."

Despite the heaviness of their current situation, Victor had to smile.

"I nearly forgot about that."

"I would probably too if it weren´t for you. I love you."

"I love you too, Yuuri."

Victor couldn´t help but leaned down and kissed Yuuri again, feeling him smiling against his lips.

"I know it seems unfair to you, Vitya. But we already spent our time together and it was wonderful. Now, we are both witch hunters fated to save people in exchange for one wish. And my wish would change the world as we know it. No more witches. No more suffering. No more victims falling deeper into the darkness. All that is left.. is to let me go. I will take care of everything waiting for us onwards."

Yuuri reached down and carefully pull out the knife from the dust. The edge was slightly glowing with a white, almost silvering light, illuminating the complex ornaments on the wooden handle.

"If you can´t, I will do it by myself. But it has to be done. Otherwise, I will stay trapped in here. And I can´t allow that to happen."

Yuuri slowly pointed the knife in the center of his chest.

"You might want to look away. It won´t be a pretty sight. But this is just a body. My soul will be in Soul Gem. In that way, I will stay alive."

Victor couldn´t avert his sight even if he wanted to. Those were Yuuri´s final moments, so how could he not be part of it?

"I´ll help you," he said eventually, although his heart was bleeding. "You are not alone - you never were. I was always with you, even if you didn´t know about it."

His hand overlapped Yuuri´s in a tight grip. Yuuri nodded and locked his eyes with Victor´s for the last time.

"I am not saying goodbye to you, Vitya. I believe we will see each other again."

With those words, Yuuri pushed the edge into his chest until the handle reached his skin and then breathed out, his hand sliding down on the ground. Victor let go of the knife too, his eyes never leaving Yuuri´s face. Slowly, very slowly Yuuri´s eyes fluttered and begun closing.

He was completely unprepared when the shine coming from Yuuri´s body suddenly grew to the point when it started to be unbearable for the human eye. Victor had to cover his sight and before he knew, the scenery changed once again.

\--

He found himself in a dark void, floating in the air. His first idea belonged to Yuuri but now he was obviously alone.

_What happened?_

The answer came, surprisingly, from Kyuubey.

_Oh, right. You are also a user of time-manipulating magic. That is probably why you managed to keep your consciousness intact. Right now, the universe is rebuilding following the new laws that have been established. So, let us witness.. the end of the existence known as "Yuuri Katsuki"._

Something like a giant swarm appeared out of nowhere. It was huge, colorful and Victor winced involuntarily.

_Just what.._

_That is Yuuri´s Soul Gem_ , answered the animal although it was nowhere to be seen.

Victor´s eyes grew bigger.

 **_This_ ** _is Soul Gem? Impossible!_

_Now we can at least grasp the idea of how much despair he has to bear for his wish to come true. He was able to create so much hope that it will create a new universe - but naturally, that much hope also brings with it enough despair to end one. I wonder, which one will it be?_

"What do you mean?" started Victor but the answer came quickly. The swarm speeded up, covering itself in some black dots. Their number rose quickly until they spread through the entire Soul Gem. Victor realized with horror that Yuuri´s soul is now surrounded with _curses_. His crystal eyes were still scanning the swarm but the darkness was increasing. Besides black, no color was visible regardless of how much he tried. And when Soul Gem gets _this_ polluted, then-

"No," he gasped when he realized that there is still an option that everything he and Yuuri accomplished, was _futile_. "That can´t be! Please.."

_Don´t worry, Vitya. Everything is okay._

Victor winced. However unbelievable, it was undoubtedly Yuuri´s voice!

His mouth opened but before he could say a word, the dark around the Soul Gem split as if being cut in the half.

_My wish was to erase all witches from the universe. And if that comes true, then even I have no reason for despair!_

One flash of white light and Soul Gem was now again shining, clear and full of colors. Then, Victor heard Kyuubey´s voice again.

_Yuuri, this is probably the last time we can communicate this way. Your existence had been already erased from this world. You will be reborn as a mere concept. No one will perceive you, and likewise, you won´t be able to interact with anyone else._

Victor breathed out. Will it really happen? Will the world be rewritten, and people continue living their lives without any thought about the one who enabled it?

He gritted his teeth, his heart clenching from the idea.

_This is just.. too cruel!_

He barely perceived how the initial darkness around him started to fill out with a complex mosaic pattern consisting of an immense number of colors. The temperature started to rise, too, and slowly, soothing warm enveloped him like a soft blanket. Victor instinctively crouched, hugging himself.

_Yuuri.._

_I am right here_ , answered him a voice that Victor knew far too well.

He immediately straightened out, his eyes searching for the one he loved. But the mosaic around him kept changing and only after a few attempts he managed to distinguish a glimpse of a human silhouette.

"I am afraid I won´t be able to stay in this form for much longer, Vitya. My body is already gone, after all.."

The being moved, resulting in disrupting the structure of mosaic that started to repair itself immediately. Victor tried the best to not lose Yuuri from his sight.

"But don´t worry. As I am now, I can see every possible timeline that ever has or will have happened and I can tell you, that everything will be okay."

The phrase reminded Victor the sad prophecy Kyuubey predicted about Yuuri´s future and sadness again filled out his heart.

Yuuri will be.. _his_ Yuuri..

"Yuuri..", he managed to ask, "are you really okay with such a destiny? Everything that Kyuubey said.. will it happen?"

A chuckle came and Victor could now catch a glimpse of black hair, shining between the colors.

"Yes, probably. But I´m not afraid. Now, my consciousness is spreading through the entire universe. I will be forever connected with everyone that had chosen the life of a witch hunter."

"But.." Victor started but somehow couldn´t continue out loud. He was too ashamed to say it, especially when he was sure that Yuuri was embedded deep in his heart, but what if..

_What if all my memories vanish and I won´t even remember you..? I can´t bear the idea of losing you again, for all eternity._

"Oh, Vitya," came from somewhere and before Victor could react, something similar to human arms embraced him around his shoulders. It was warm, soft and he almost cried from relief. Yuuri probably reacted on his thoughts.

"It´s possible that you will remember me even if you return, Vitya. I believe in it, so you should too! After all, witch hunters are the one that can use magic to make their wish come true. It may be a small chance, but who knows - maybe the miracle will happen once again!"

Victor wanted to stop it but again felt tears rolling down his cheeks.

 _Believe._ He believed in Yuuri and Yuuri believed in him.

He took a deep breath and realized that Yuuri is now probably standing right in front of him. His silhouette was barely recognizable from the pattern behind him but Victor could now clearly see two warm, chocolate eyes and a soft smile on Yuuri´s face. The rest of the body kept changing its shape and was now reminding more of an eerie being than a human it formerly was.

"I´ll be by your side even if you won´t hear me or see me. It´s a promise. And to keep it, I saved a little something for you. It´s not much, but I managed to take it here with me."

Victor felt his hand being lifted opened and something was put in his right palm. His sight felt down and with a surprise, he spotted a dark-blue string of cloth from Yuuri´s vest.

"I´m sorry I can´t stay, Vitya. I really am. But I feel that everything will be okay. It has to be! We just have to believe."

The feeling of touch vanished and Victor noticed that the lines of Yuuri´s face started to fade. It looked as if he started to blend within the mosaic.

"It seems my time is up. I have to go meet everyone else and start to fill out my duties in this new universe.."

And really, the mosaic surrounding Victor started to crack and rays of sun pushing through them blocked his sight. He yelped and covered his eyes, the string brushing over his fingers.

"Yuuri!" he shouted in a panic. It all went too fast - it this really the end..?

"Don´t worry, Vitya! The time will come when we will see each other again. So until then do your best, okay?"

Victor felt a soft touch on his lips and in the next second, the sensation was gone. The mosaic fell apart and the soothing warm changed to immense heat from the sun rising above the new world. But Yuuri was nowhere to be seen. Victor was just floating in the air, _alone_.

A name froze on his lips and he collapsed.

\--

Breath. A deep breath. And another one.

Darkness around him interrupted only by the flickering light of street lamps.

The weight of his coat on his shoulders.

And smell - strange smell he never ever felt before.

Victor gasped and winced, opening his eyes immediately.

He was standing on the street, transformed. His ring was shining in a familiar blue light, illuminating his nearest surroundings.

In the background, voices could be heard.

Victor turned around and saw people that were supposed to be dead - Phichit and Yuri were standing there side by side, staring into the strange fog. Phichit just reached out his hand to pat Yuri on his shoulder, but the young hunter shook it off and furiously stabbed the dagger in the ground instead.

"Where is Otabek?!"

"Yuri.. I told you already. He is gone."

"But-- how-- are you sure about it?"

"Unfortunately, I saw it happen many times before. Why just he didn´t tell us anything.. he must have used his last strength on that attack. I´m sorry, Yuri."

This time, Yuri let himself be consoled, although his hand holding another dagger was still clenched firmly.

"Fuck," he muttered. "And just now when we had finally become friends.."

He let go of the dagger and punched his fist to the lamp standing next to him.

"It can´t be helped," answered Phichit with a visible sadness in his voice. "Such is the fate of all hunters. When the right time comes, we are guided away by Law of Cycles. I´m sure you must have been told about this when you formed your contract. Before the hope we wished for creates an equal amount of despair, we have no other choice than to vanish from this world."

As if in the dream, Victor just stood there and let their words pass through him.

According to what Phichit said, everything that had happened was true.

The world changed into the one without witches. People who were killed by them came back to life. And he somehow managed to return with his memories intact. Everything was as Yuuri predicted, so that must ultimately mean that Yuuri himself did indeed became what he wished for.

The Law of Cycles. The hope for all hunters. And apparently, the others had no memories of him whatsoever.

Victor´s sight fell the ground when he noticed something hidden in his palm. He opened it up and the dark-blue string appeared, rolling slowly around his lean fingers. He brushed it with his thumb - the cloth was soft under his touch, almost.. warm.

"Yuuri.." slipped from his lips uncontrollably.

Other hunters just now noticed him standing there and turned back.

"Yuuri? Who is that?"

Victor saw Phichit´s big, concerned eyes, as well as Yuri´s mouth moving - he was saying something, but their voices couldn´t reach him anymore. The world became blurry as he squeezed the string tightly and pressed his hands to his chest.

He fell on his knees and cried and cried.

\--

**_Epilogue_ **

_One year later_

The wind was blowing strongly as Victor was sitting at the top of the highest building in the city. It was a full moon and the city under him was shining, blinking and moving as if it was some big panting animal and humans were just ants wandering around its surface.

 _Well, it certainly sounds like a very interesting hypothesis for everything_ , echoed behind him and he could hear small pawns gently tapping on the ground.

"It´s not a hypothesis. It really happened," he answered simply and without turning back he tossed Kyuubey a small but heavy black triangle.

 _But there is obviously no way to prove it_ , replied the animal again after a second. _If the rules of the universe were rewritten according to your words; and you are the only one that remembers.. We could very well think this was just some dream of yours. Although-_ he stopped for a second to catch another triangle, _it is true that we still can´t figure out why Soul Gems which became too polluted just disappear. So in this concept, that 'witches' you have been talking about indeed sound very interesting. If human emotional energy could be collected that way, our quotas would be filled faster than ever._

"Well, that sounds exactly like you." Victor´s sight moved away from the city to the starless sky and giant, pale shining moon. What was the point to argue with something emotionless anyway?

Kyuubey came closer and Victor spotted white fur and pink eyes in the corner of his eye.

_In the world you mentioned.. there are no beasts we´re fighting here, right? In that case, gathering the energy had to be-_

"It wasn´t as simple as you´re imagining. Moreover, we weren´t exactly on great terms with you, either.. Incubator."

Victor threw a whole fist of small triangles behind his back in an attempt to distract the animal´s attention, even if only for a few seconds. He really wasn´t in a mood for talking.

_One year has passed.. but the evil didn´t vanish from this world. Thanks to your sacrifice there finally aren´t any witches anymore, but that didn´t stop the curses to emerge from human emotions. Beasts.. or at least that is how I call them. But.. it probably does have its meaning, doesn´t it, Yuuri? After all, the balance has to be maintained for humans to live, plants to grow, animals to breathe.._

Kyuubey snorted and Victor winced at the sound. It still sounded strange to him.

 _The air is full of their scent. It seems to be a long night_ , said the animal and stretched itself on the ground, almost like a real cat.

"Your complaining isn´t solving anything. Come, you´ll help me localize the nest."

_Of course. That is my role here, after all. So, where will you start?_

"Down there, in district 5," Victor beckoned his head. Even he could get dizzy from that smell floating around in the air. Well, the sooner he gets the things done here, the better for him. Maybe he would be able to steal himself a few hours of sleep before the dawn arrives. Not the mention that CEO shouldn´t look sleepy in the work. Not even when he has a private sofa directly in his office.

Victor took a deep breath and his fingers flew out to the dark-blue string he used to bind in his own hair now. He stroked it a couple of times; let himself be relaxed with his fingertips brushing against the smooth fabric. It was more of a habit already, but still..

It helped him. It helped him not to spend his endless nights with crying, or with the thoughts about the quickest way how to end up his life. Sometimes when he unbound the string and roll it within his palm helplessly, he could still smell _his_ scent, _his Yuuri´s_ scent; however subtle, almost ephemeral, but it _was_ there. Without a doubt, it stayed within that small piece of fabric as if Yuuri let a very piece of his soul in it.

Victor placed a small kiss on the fabric, breathed in and felt his lips widen in a slight smile.

_I know you´re watching. Don´t worry, I´ll do my best. I´ll protect everyone. Just like I have been taking care of you all the time before, and just like you are protecting every person on this planet now._

Victor could easily imagine a smile dancing on Yuuri´s lips; his loving, warm eyes and soft face with a halo of shining hair around it. When Yuuri opened up his hands to embrace him, Victor jumped down to the night.

_I know. I love you too, Yuuri._

THE END.


	14. Apppendixes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the meantime of writing the main story, I collected some of my ideas in the form of short appendixes. I decided to upload it also here so if you are interested, feel free to check them (of course it´s optional).  
> The topics include clothes of the characters, magic, wishes, age of characters and short summaries of each chapter.  
> Enjoy!

**Appendix 1 – Clothes**

Clothes are actually a major Achilles´ heel for me since I don´t have fashion sense at all. So most of this comes from my imagination probably combined with something I saw online, in television and so on.

Of course anyone is entitled to have their own images in their minds, I will just write down what was going on my head while I was writing it J What I borrowed from Madoka is that color of the outfit usually matched the color of the hair and the color of the Soul Gem usually went with the color of the eyes. Of course, this wasn´t possible for all characters since no character has golden eyes in real. But it that case I tried to pick up a color that was at least mentioned in YOI.

**Victor** – Victor has a typical what I call “a Russian mafia” outfit. Long coat matching the color of his hair, long hair covering his face, a dozen guns at his belt and massive boots. In work, he wears a suit (since Victor looks stunning in a suit, admit it). This was probably the most detailed description in the fic since it had to be – it is written in Yuuri´s POV and he had seen Victor as his first witch hunter ever. After Yuuri´s death, he kept his string as a memento and tied it tightly in the hair. I imagine it similar to Ashura from Naruto did it with his hair. Victor usually hides the string but keep it close so he can touch it when he feels alone or uncertain.

**Phichit** – Phichit´s outfit has a pirate vibe for me (but don´t ask me why). It consists of a white shirt with long sleeves and red trousers while his chest is bare and his hands are caring or manipulating the swords. I do realize that part of the story is happening in winter but I guess as a hunter he is kinda immune against the cold. The most important thing is the golden sash you can picture similar as in YOI while he is skating in a red outfit. In anime, Phichit is often shown wearing green color, but this somehow doesn´t influence me at all. His boots are undefined – you can picture them as you want.

**Otabek** – I must admit I haven´t thought much about Otabek´s clothes. In general, he wears his leather jacket. It is also mentioned he has undercut similar as shown in the anime. His witch hunter outfit is not mentioned at all, only his Soul Gem and magic are dark brown as his eyes. The only exception is in chapter 5 when his trousers are described as black. The reason I didn´t give him the exact idea of the clothes was that it is unimportant. When he is with Yuuri, Yuuri focuses on him, not the clothes. For the plot they are irrelevant. You can picture them as you want. But if you are still curious how I pictured him, I had in mind a very vague picture of dark brown vest and leather black trousers. Arms are bare.

**Yuri** – this was the only character I had fun by picturing and describing his clothes. I wanted to show him as total punk, from his hair to his shoes. He is wearing a big hoodie to cover himself, the color similar to his hair. His hair is the chapter for itself. If you can imagine half of the hair braided very tightly to the skin and the second half loose, covering one eye, that would be it. Both ears are pierced multiple times. On his body, he wears a gaping t-shirt and narrow braces (yellow?) connecting to the black trousers. As always, shoes are up to your imagination. Later in the fic, he wears his hair loose and down, making him look older.

**Yuuri** – his outfit as a witch hunter is not described much, although it is mentioned in the chapters dedicated to Victor´s memories. In my head is briefly reminded the clothes of the Jean Baptiste Grenouille from the movie Parfum: The story of a Murderer. Jean has a buttoned vest with long sleeves, tight trousers, and blazer under his vest; the whole set is mid-blue. I imagine Yuuri wearing a dark-blue long-sleeved vest, and trousers with a pure white shirt under it. Further details are up to you. There is part in the fic when Yuuri´s hair is long, in the civil as well as a witch hunter. He later asks Victor to shorten it for him while explaining it bothers his view. So I imagine he probably wears it mostly in a ponytail and only rarely loose.

**Appendix 2 – Abilities**

**Victor** – his most powerful ability is to rewind time. He also possesses incredible shooting skills, but those were gained by years of training, not magic. His primary magic is summoning – he is able to summon every weapon from his store once he got hold of it. It is shown that he can summon other things besides weapons, but he doesn´t use that ability often. Victor can´t heal or regenerate himself other than by common means, so he specializes in long-range attacks, but can be effective also in close combat. Together with Phichit he belongs to the most powerful witch hunters. However, his psychic is labile, although he hides it in front of the other hunters.

**Phichit** – possesses strong healing abilities which he uses mostly for others, but also for himself. He can heal also non-human beings like Kyuubey. He is a strong fighter in long-range as well as close combat; also his stamina is pretty good. It is shown he can use also enchantment magic, albeit limitedly. Phichit with his team-leadership abilities and supporting attitude belongs to the most powerful witch hunters. However, he is prone to losing focus and susceptible to succumb under very stressful situations.

**Otabek** – probably the weakest member of the group. Otabek´s physique is good, but his abilities are focused mainly on super regeneration of the tissue and blocking of the pain albeit by the cause of severe injuries. He specializes in close combat. However, his techniques are nearly as efficient compared to other hunters since Otabek lacks the praxis. He is prone to stress and his psychic got quickly worse which was shown by nightmares and displays of unbreakable rage.

**Yuri Plisetsky** – becoming the witch hunter in the age of 11, he had to quickly customize to the world of witches. He is young, fast, and very talented with daggers. Yuri can´t heal himself or others by magic, but he is shown to be quite immune against pain (although it is unclear whether he feels it in the same range as an ordinary human). His main power – enchantment and copy technique – was lost at some point of his past, but he is shown being capable of using enchantment in a limited range. Also, he can create powerful barriers that can protect multiple people and last until he is conscious. Yuri can be saucy, but his personality is shown to be quite mature.

**Yuuri Katsuki** – as a human, Yuuri is shown to have more or less timid personality, joined with a lot of angst, uncertainty, and low self-esteem. This is however not true for the Yuuri from the first timeline which is shown considerably more cheerful and friendly towards others. After he is attacked by a witch and his sister dies, he starts to show interest in witch´s world and other witch hunters. Phichit helped him to work on his worries and open up himself more. Otabek, on the other hand, influences him greatly which leads to Yuuri experiencing pity, anger, and sadness. His relationship with Yuri was short but it was shown that Yuuri did admire him. His relationship with Victor is probably the most complicated since Yuuri wasn´t sure about how he should behave around him as his superior. After seeing Victor as a witch hunter, his uncertainty even rises, at some point changes even into hostility. However, over a time Yuuri realizes that although Victor is cold, that doesn´t mean he hates him. Moreover, they managed to bond after the death of their comrades. In the end, Victor and Yuuri remain the last people obligated to save the city. Yuuri´s personality changes rapidly after he gave Victor his trust and decides on his wish. He is more calm and relaxed while realizing his feelings for Victor.

**Appendix 3 – Wishes**

Phichit Chulanont – „I wish to live.“

Otabek Altin – „I wish for Jean-Jacque Leroy to heal.“

Yuri Plisetsky – „I wish everyone would believe my mother sings great.“

Victor Nikiforov – „I wish to redo my meeting with Yuuri and protect him.“

Yuuri Katsuki - „I wish to erase all witches in the universe."

**Appendix 4 – Ages (in years)**

Yuuri – 29

Victor – 33

Phichit – 26

Otabek – 23

JJ – 24/25

Yuri - 20

**Appendix 5 – Summaries**

**1 – “I Think I Met Him Somewhere..”**

Life of Yuuri Katsuki is not even close to perfect. Dull, boring job interrupted only with occasional meetings with Phichit and Otabek is endlessly filling his days. However, a new CEO arrives in the company and Yuuri´s world is about to change from the base – although he is not aware of it yet.

**2 – “That Could be Truly Wonderful..”**

Shocked by the fact of Victor being a witch hunter, Yuuri runs away and tries to hide from everything connected to him. But life is giving him one punch after another – until an unexpected ally appears.

**3 – “Miracles and Magic Exists”**

Saving him from certain death, Phichit becomes Yuuri´s savior and best friend. The life seems almost perfect now but Otabek is hiding a dark secret that could corrupt this fragile happiness.

**4 – “I am Not Afraid Anymore..”**

After Otabek´s departure, Phichit and Yuuri bind even closer together. Victor returns to the scene but is defeated by Phichit when entering the maze. Yuuri decides to join Phichit and help him with fighting witches but before he can do so, the witch emerges unexpectedly and kills Phichit right in front of Yuuri´s eyes.

**5 – “This Is Not How It Was Supposed to Be”**

Struck by Phichit´s death, Yuuri is slowly finding his will to live. The sudden return of Otabek is again changing everything, bringing back only bad news. Otabek now belongs to the witch hunters too and is forced to live by their rules. Moreover, a new hunter appears on the scene, eager to claim the city.

  1. **– “I Don´t Rely on Anyone Anymore”**



Afraid of losing Otabek so short after losing Phichit leads Yuuri to the idea of searching for Victor´s help. Victor, however, is unwilling to do so, hinting that Otabek will die one way or the other. Terrified Yuuri is desperately looking for a way to save Otabek until he decides abruptly on taking his Soul Gem away. This leads to unraveling a new secret Kyuubey was hiding in front of all witch hunters.

**7 – “I Was So, So Stupid”**

Otabek is falling deeper and deeper into despair. New hunter, Yuri, tries to support him but Otabek doesn´t believe him anymore due to their duel the past. Yuuri wants to save his friend by all means but Otabek refuses any help and runs in the night. Yuri finds him only minutes before Otabek´s Soul Gem breaks and his body falls in the river. A witch emerges out of nowhere, making Otabek´s rescue impossible for Yuri.

**Interlude: “Phichit** **&** **Yuri: The Different Story”**

Interlude is dated before the original story happens. Phichit is trying to find any friend between witch hunters, but the reality is too harsh and everybody is willing to fight only for themselves. After he accidentally rescues a teenage boy from being eaten by a witch, he is still not aware of how much change will this bring to his life.

**8 – “I Won´t Allow That to Happen”**

Managing to grasp Otabek´s body in the last second, Yuri is trying to bring him back to life. The operation fails and Yuuri is forced to bury Otabek. Coping with his death, Yuri once again shows up by his door with an idea to save Otabek´s soul from the witch. However, the plan ends horribly, with Yuri dying and Yuuri escaping death at the last minute with Victor help. Moreover, giant witch Walpurgis is on its way to destroy the city.

**9, part 1 – “The Point of Return”**

Victor reminiscing about his past still as a human. The fate brought him and Yuuri together, but Walpurgis ended their short relationship. Victor, mourning over Yuuri´s death body wishes to return time so he could meet him again and protect him.

**10, part 2 – “The Endless Path”**

Victor wakes up, immediately realizing his wish became true. Now being a witch hunter, he manages to befriend both Phichit and Yuuri and starts using his abilities. The history repeats itself and he forms a couple with Yuuri, only to lose him again in a battle against Walpurgis. Victor manages to leap back in time to reverse the process. From this point on, he is reliving through the same year over and over again, in desperate attempt to save Yuuri, but fails every single time so far.

**11 – “The Only Guide Left”**

Yuuri wakes up in his home, finding only note from Victor. Eager to find out the truth, he visits him and offers his help from Walpurgis. Victor breaks and finally confesses to Yuuri, but still doesn´t reveal him all his past. When Walpurgis arrives and Victor has to leave him to fight, Yuuri is forced to make a decision that will change his life forever. Finding Victor on the brink of death, Yuuri claims he will save the city and become a witch hunter.

  1. **– "I Wish.."**



Yuuri finally remembers his past life and what everything has Victor done for him. Unfortunately, they have to focus on Walpurgis which is currently rampaging in the city. Victor ends up almost mortally wounded and unable to fight anymore, but Yuuri declares his wish in the last minute and changes the course of events. Kyuubey, incapable of stopping the world from collapsing, is thrown in space-time together with Victor as the universe rebuilds itself and Yuuri´s existence is vanishing. Finally, the city is saved and new rules are established - witches no longer exist and Phichit, Otabek, and Yuri came back to life. Victor is the only one remembering Yuuri and now has to cope with life in a different world without him. However, he still hopes to see him one day.


	15. He Will be Remembered - The Side Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! I decided to upload also this small side story. Originally, this was the end of the fic, but after a long time of thinking and deciding, I preferred the epilogue from the PMMM series. Still, this kept bugging me and I thought someone might like to see if Yuuri´s parents remember him or not..  
> In this scenario, Victor´s memories are intact, but Hiroko has forgotten about him and thinks he is just another guest.  
> Enjoy!  
> Comments and kudos are always welcomed.

"If you excuse me for a while, gentlemen."

Victor put down the chopsticks and left the table with a slight bow. Carefully, he closed the paper door and finally allowed himself to breathe freely. He literally felt the complimentary mask he was wearing on a daily basis to crack. The expensive suit forgotten, he leaned with his back against the wall and closed his eyes.

_So I came back, eventually._

There was a reason he wanted to avoid this meeting, but no one could predict that it would be set in _Yuutopia Onsen_ from all places. Apparently, Hiroko´s kitchen was legendary. Now, memories were flowing in him like in a motion movie and it took all his strength to keep himself under control.

Victor took a couple of deep breaths and straightened up, walking in the direction of the restroom. But the building probably underwent some sort of reconstruction because he found himself in the middle of a narrow corridor. Walls were filled out with paintings and the decorative lamps were illuminating the whole place with soft light. Victor didn´t remember this hallway, so he turned on his heel and wanted to return when one of the painting caught his interest.

It resembled a mosaic - but not just any mosaic. There were more colors than he could count, and many of them were merging into new tones that yet had to be discovered. The patterns were overlapping and forming new shapes. The whole painting should look chaotic, but it was the opposite - Victor felt strangely relaxed and suddenly realized that he had seen it somewhere before. He looked around and really, all other paintings were depicting similar mosaic. Colors and shapes were slightly different each time, but he could tell that this has to be _that_ place.

He just reached out his hand to touch the picture when a voice echoed behind him.

"Are you interested in art, perhaps?"

Victor turned around and his eyes stopped on the figure of a middle-aged woman with short hair and glasses dressed up in traditional clothes.

He stepped back and smiled slightly.

"Occasionally. But I must say these paintings are very.. unique. In fact, they are beautiful."

Hiroko´s eyes widened and she returned the smile to him.

"Well, thank you! I always thought I don´t have much talent but it seems our guests really like them, too."

"Wait," said Victor, confused. "Are you saying _you_ made these?"

"Yes," repeated Hiroko, nodding her head. "I don´t know why, but this mosaic started to appear in my dreams some time ago. It was always the same scene although it looked a bit different every time I saw it. One day I just woke up and knew I had to paint it, to somehow let it out. And so I started, drawing a new picture by each day. Eventually, the visions became less often. Now they only appear from time to time. Sometimes, I have a feeling.."

She stopped and started blushing, shaking her head.

"Hiroko-san?"

"It´s just.. I don´t know why I am even telling you all this, but.. Well, sometimes I have a feeling that there is _someone_ hidden in that mosaic. I see warm, brown eyes.. they are so familiar, you know? But it´s just one glimpse and then it is gone. But still.."

She lifted her sight and smiled, albeit a bit nervously.

"You must probably think how stupid it is, don´t you? We should let it go. You are looking for your room, I guess? I´ll show you the way."

She turned on her heel and wanted to leave, but Victor stayed at the same spot. Hiroko stopped and gave him a startled look. Foreigners were not unusual in their family onsen, but only rarely she could meet a tall silver-haired man with such blue, captivating eyes.

Then Victor smiled and finally stepped closer to Hiroko, putting his hand on her shoulder lightly.

"Hiroko-san.. don´t give up on painting. I´m sure he would tell you the same."

He gave her one more smile, and then slowly passed nearby, letting her stand in the corridor with a slightly confused look on her face.

Victor continued to the dining room, his world suddenly a bit brighter than it seemed to be a minute ago. After a moment the paper door already appeared right in front of him. He could even hear the muffled conversation of his colleagues from inside. How much farther could this reality be from the one he saw on those paintings? And yet, this was the real world, the one that Yuuri fought for. Until Victor will remember him, he won´t be forgotten.

_Yuuri.. it seems, that in a way you are still together with us, aren´t you?_

Victor wasn´t expecting an answer, but a sudden breeze appeared out of nowhere and caressed his face, vanishing as quickly as it originated.

_I understand_ , smiled Victor. _And thank you, Yuuri. For everything._

Without further thoughts, he opened up the door and stepped into the room.


End file.
